Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/fleetsofworldgalOOparkrich 


THE 

FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 


THE 


FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 


scEirt' 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD. 


BY  iji> 

FOXHALL   A.   PAKKEK 

COMMODORE  U.  S.  NAVY, 


^ai-lg'^'f 


AUTHOR  OF 
FLEET  TACTICS  UNDER  STEAM,"  "  THE  HOWITZER  AFLOAT,"  &C. 


"In  the  long  days  and  nights  of  sailing,  given  over,  it  is  likely,  to  his  own  thoughts 
and  the  unfathomable  dialogue  with  the  ever-moaning  brine  ;  not  the  worst  High  School 
a  man  could  have,  and  indeed  infinitely  preferable  to  the  most  that  are  going  even  now, 
for  a  high  and  deep  youiig  soul."— Carlyle. 


NEW  YORK : 

D.  VAN    NOSTRAND,    PUBLISHER, 

23  Murray  St.  and  27  Warren  St. 

1876.* 


o.N 


•ji. 


CkjPVRIGHT. 

1876. 

By  D.  van  NOSTBAND. 


)a 


:;  ;*  <i  /  ^ 


TO 

HIS  BROTHER    SEAMEN 

OP    j:VERY    CLIME, 

THIS    VOLUME 

IS    DEDICATED. 

BY. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


PREFACE 


— .1*- 


While  the  great  land  battles  of  the  world  have  been  de- 
scribed by  the  ablest  historians  and  the  most  eloquent  orators, 
while  military  chieftains  have  ever  been  attended  through 
life  by  enthusiastic  admirers,  who  have  recorded  their  every 
action,  and  each  word  that  has  fallen  from  their  lips,  thus 
ensuring  the  transmission  of  their  fame  to  remotest  posterity, 
great  sea  fights,  upon  whose  issue  has  not  unfrequently  hung 
the  fate  of  Empires  and  of  States,  have  received  from  history 
and  oratory,  alike,  but  a  passing  notice,  while  the  principal 
actors  in  many  of  them  have  sunk  into  such  oblivion  with 
the  tomb,  that  their  very  names  are  unknown  to  us.  There- 
fore, in  preparing  this  volume  for  publication,  the  author 
had  it  in  view  to  give  some  account  of  the  fleets  which  from 
time  to  time  have  made  their  appearance  upon  the  deep, 
together  with  a  sketch  of  the  gallant  men  who  organized 
and  fought  them — a  laborious  and,  perhaps,  a  thankless  task, 
but  one  which  seemed  imposed  upon  him  by  his  profession. 

In  furtherance  of  this  view,  he  read,  and  carefully  col- 
lated, the  various,  and  too  often  conflicting,  statements  of 
all  the  authorities  upon  the  subjects  of  which  he  treats,  that 
he  was  enabled  to  get  hold  of,  using  his  judgment,  as  a  sea- 
man, as  to  their  special  and  relative  value ;  and  being  care- 


8  PREFACE, 

ful  not  to  follow  in  the  track  of  those  who  have  unscrupu- 
lously sacrificed  truth  to  the  picturesque. 

In  treating  of  the  Norsemen,  however,  he  was  compelled, 
in  order  to  give  a  connected  account  of  their  spirited  and  san- 
guinary engagements,  to  fill  up  many  blanks  in  the  relations 
of  Snorro  Sturleson  and  others ;  but  being  mindful,  in  so 
doing,  to  adhere"  rigidly  to  the  Norse  mode  of  fighting,  and 
to  introduce  no  episode  not  in  strict  accordance  with  the 
character,  manners,  superstitions  and  religious  observances 
of  the  Norse  people,  he  confidently  believes  he  here  presents 
to  the  public  the  most  correct  marine  picture  of  Scandinavia 
yet  drawn. 

Should  the  author  be  encouraged  to  persevere  in  his  un- 
dertaking, he  will  be  enabled,  in  future  volumes,  to  take  his 
readers  over  more  certain  ground.  Together  they  will  visit 
Van  Tromp  and  De  Kuyter  in  the  British  Channel,  Blake  at 
Santa  Cruz,  Rodney  in  the  Antilles,  and  Suffren  off  Trinco- 
malee ;  and  later,  from  the  quarter-deck  of  the  Victory,  be- 
hold the  magnificent  fleet  led  by  Nelson,  as  it  "sweeps 
through  the  deep,"  on  its  way  to  Trafalgar,  where  the  mighty 
hero  fell. 

Finally,  leaving  the  Eastern  Hemisphere,  they  will  see, 
passing  before  them  in  regular  succession,  those  famous  sea- 
captains  whose  deeds  of  daring  have  emblazoned  the  naval 
annals  of  the  United  States. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

Chinese  vessels  and  their  navigation 9 

Egyptian  vessels  and  their  navigation 11 

Phoenician  vessels  and  their  navigation 13 

The  Greeks  and  Persians.      An  account  of  their  war-galleys  and 

merchantmen,  and  of  certain  famous  ships  of  antiquity 15 

Minos,  King  of  Crete,  clears  the  Grecian  seas  of  pirates 24 

War  between  Greece  and  Persia,  great  sea-fight  off  Salamis   25 

Peloponnesian  war,  exploits  of  Phormio  at  Naupaktus 43 

Athenians  and  Sicilians  ;  fearful  overthrow  of   the  former  in  the 

Harbor  of  Syracuse,  and  decline  of  Athens  as  a  Naval  power. . .  52 
Romans  and  Carthaginians.     First  Naval  victory  of  the  Romans,  off 

Mylse.      A  rostrated  column  of  marble  erected  to  Duilius   at 

Rome.     Great  engagement  off  Heraclaea  of  Minos   and  total 

defeat  of  the  Carthaginians.     Poor  seamanship  of  the  Romans..  60 

Circumnavigation  of  Africa  by  Hanno  the  Carthaginian 73 

Antony  and  Octavius.     Battle  of  Actium •. 77 

Arms  and  Engines  of  war  of  the  Ancients,  and  their  manner  of 

using  them 82 

A  Roman  triumph 83 

Venice 84 

Venetians  and   Saracens.     Sea-fights  off  Crotona,  in  the   Gulf  of 

Taranto 86 

Venetians  and  Genoese - 87 

A^ictory  of  the  Genoese  led  by  Paganino  Doria,  over  the  Venetians, 

Spaniards  and  Greeks,  near  Constantinople 88 


ii  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Ungrateful  treatment  of  Paganino  Doria  by  the  Genoese — He  is 
deprived  of  his  command,  which  is  given  to  his  bitter  enemy, 
Antonio  Grimaldi 90 

Utter  defeat  of  Grimaldi  off  the  island  of  Sardinia  by  the  Venetians 

and  Spaniards 91 

Abject  terror  of  the  Genoese  upon  the  news  of  Grimaldi's  defeat.  . .     93 

Genoa  intrusts  the  command  of  her  fleet  again  to  Doria,  who  gains 

a  great  victory  over  Nicolo  Pisani,  in  the  Harbor  of  Portolongo.     94 

A  Venetian  tragedy 96 

War  again  declared  by  Venice  against  Genoa.     She  places  her  great 

Admiral,  Vettore  Pisani,  in  command  of  her  Naval  forces 100 

Pisani  defeats  the  Genoese  Admiral,  Fieschi,  off  Antium 102 

Pisani  being  forced,  by  the  Proveditori,  to  fight  a  battle  against 
superior  forces,  off  Pola,  is  almost  annihilated  by  his  adversary, 
Luciano  Doria,  and  on  his  return  to  Venice  is  loaded  with 
chains,  and  confined  in  a  dungeon 103 

The  Genoese,  after^taking  and  burning  several  Venetian  towns,  ap- 
pear off  Venice   106 

Great  Chioggia  being  taken  by  the  enemy,  the  Venetian  people 
insist  upon  Pisani's  being  invested  with  the  chief  command. 
He  saves  Venice.     His  admirable  conduct  and  character 108 

Pisani  makes  a  cruise  to  the  coast  of  Asia,  and  "  on  his  return 
voyage  falls  sick,  and  dies  at  Manfredonia.  Great  mourning  at 
Venice 113 

Forced  into  a  war  against  France,  Spain,  Germany  and  the  petty 

I  Italian  States,  by  the  League  of  Cambray,  Venice  defends  her- 
self with  great  spirit,  but  is  finally  obliged  to  cede  Romagna  to 
the  Pope 116 

War  with  the  Turks.     Fearful   atrocities  committed  by  them    in 

Cyprus 117 

Battle  of  Lepanto 123 

Through  the  discovery  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  Venice  ceases  to 

be  the  Great  Maritime  power  of  the  world 140 

Of  the  people  who  dwelt  along  the  Southern  shore  of  the  Baltic  and 

on  the  seaboard  of  Germany 141 

Scandinavia 143 

The  Naval  power  of  the  Norsemen.  Their  fondness  for  the  sea.  The 

Vikings 149 

Description  of  the  hull  of  a  Norse  vessel,  excavated  a  few  years 
since,  from  a  mound  near  Fredrikstadt,  Norway,  and  now  in  the 
University  of  Christiania 151 

Olaf  Tryggvesson,  Norway's  first  Christian  king 158 


CONTENTS,  iii 

PAGE. 

Olaf  Tryggvesson  with  a  large  fleet  visits  the  king  of  Vendland.     A 

Scandinavian  banquet 161 

Olaf  Tryggvesson  sails  from  Vendland  for  Norway,  and  is  attacked 
by  the  combined  Naval  forces  of  Denmark  and  Sweden  and  a 

Norwegian  earl  named  Eric.     Great  battle  of  Stralsund 166 

Earl  Eric  usurps  the  Sovereignty  of  Norway 182 

Olaf  Haroldsson,  the  Saint 182 

Olaf,  the  saint,  assaults  and  destroys  London  bridge  with  his  fleet.     184 
Olaf  the  saint  becomes  king  of  Norway  and  reigns  thirteen  years 
when  he  falls  at  the  battle  of  Stiklestad,  and  is  succeeded  by 

Swend,  a  son  of  Canute  the  Great 188 

The  Norsemen  "  chase  Swend  back  to  Denmark,"   and  place  Olaf 
the  saint's  son,  Magnus  the  good,  on    the  throne,   who  reigns 
many  years,  and  is  succeeded  by  his  uncle  Harald  Hardrada..  ..   190 
Great  sea-fight  oif  Nisaa,  between  the  Norsemen  and  the  Danes.  . . .    194 
Harald  Hardrada  sails  for  England  as  the  ally  of  earl  To  sti,  and  is 

slain  at  Standford  bridge 203 

Rise  of  the  British  Navy.     Battle  between  the  English  and  French 

off  Sluys 205 

The  invincible  Armada 213 

Appendix 229 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE. 

PLATE       I.  An  Ancient  Galley  -        -        -        -      16 

"  11.  A  Venetian  Galleass        -        -        -        -     126 

''         III.  A  Drakar  or  Norse  Dragon  -        -        -     150 
"  TV.  Fragments  of  a  Vessel    of   the   Viking 

Period,  taken  from  a   Tumulus  near 
Fredrikstadt,  Norway  -        -        -     152 

"  V.  Fragments  of  a  Vessel   of   the   Viking 

Period,  taken   from  a   Tumulus   near 
Fredrikstadt,  Norway  -     '  -        -     154 

"  VI.  Fragments  of  a  Vessel  of  the  Viking 
Period,  taken  from  a  Tumulus  near 
Fredrikstadt,  Norway  -        -        -     156 

"       VII.  The  Great  Harry 210 

"      VIII.  A  Ship  Belonging  TO  THE  Spanish  Armada     216 


THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD, 


THE   GALLEY  PERIOD. 


CHINA. 

Horace,  in  one  of  his  Odes,  celebrates,  or  rather  inveighs 
against  the  sublime  hardihood  of  the  man  who  first  invaded 
the  dominion  of  Neptune  in  a  frail  bark,  rudely  constructed 
by  unskilful  hands.  The  invective  of  the  poet,  if  we  may 
believe  the  annals  of  the  Chinese,  must  surely  have  fallen 
upon  the  head  of  some  unfortunate  Chinaman,  long  after 
his  body  had  been  consigned  to  an  earthy  or  a  watery  grave ; 
and  it  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  the  name  of  this  "  ancient 
mariner,"  whose  "  breast  and  ribs  were  brass,"  ^  with  a  live- 
oak  backing,  has  not  been  handed  down  to  us,  either  by  the 
historian  or  the  Roman  lyrist ;  nor  shall  we  ever  know,  in- 
all  probability, — for  neither  the  American  nor  the  European- 
constructors  will  be  likely  to  tell  us, — whether  or  not  his 
exhumed  frame  served  as  a  model  for  our  modern  iron-clads. 
All  that  we  can  conjecture  with  any  degree  of  certainty  is, 
that  the  poor  fellow,  like  the  seaman  of  the  present  day, 
fared  badly,  during  his  life,  on  "  hard  tack,"  greasy  pork  and 
"  salt  junk,"  and  was  quickly  forgotten  when  he  died.  Cer- 
tain it  is,  however,  that  the  arf  of  navigation  died  not  with 
him;  for  his  countrymen,  possessing  a  knowledge  of  the 
properties  of  the  magnet,^  long  before  its  use  was  under- 
stood by  the  other  nations  of  the  earth,  were  enabled  b}^  it 
to  extend  their  commerce  at  a  very  remote  period  along  the 
2 


10        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

coast  of  Hindostan,  and  across  the  Arabian  Sea,  even  to  the 
Persian  Gulf. 

With  an  eye  painted  on  the  bows  of  their  cruisers,  to 
inculcate,  most  probably,  the  necessity  of  watchfulness, 
and  their  compasses,  rudders  and  cables  adorned  with  stripes 
of  red  cloth — the  color  red  being  sacred  to  some  one  oi 
their  marine  divinities — they  ventured  boldly  to  sea,  in  the 
full  faith  that  their  watchful  pilots  and  well-trained  seamen, 
whom  they  not  inaptly  denominated  "  eyes  and  ears,"  would 
guide  them  safely  to  the  "  haven  where  they  would  be."  In 
fine  weather  all  the  crew  worshipped,  morning  and  evening, 
before  the  shrine  of  the  Queen  of  Heaven — the  sailor's  patron 
saint ;  but,  when  storms  arose,  and  the  whole  fury  of  the 
Wind  Spirit  was  upon  them,  they  burnt  gilt  paper,  and  made 
other  offerings  to  the  devil^  whose  wrath  they  desired  to  ap- 
pease ;  it  being  their  doctrine  that  fair  winds  came  direct 
from  Heaven,  while  foul  ones  received  their  life-destroying 
mission  from  Satan  himself!  That  this  devil-worship  has 
descended  to  our  own  times,  I  myself  was  a  witness,  in  the 
year  1850,  at  Singapore. 

Thus,  with  the  assistance  of  the  gentleman  in  black,  the 
Chinese  were  getting  along  very  comfortably;  and  they 
would,  no  doubt,  have  soon  made  their  name  known  and 
respected  in  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe,  but  for  one  of 
their  emperors, — a  narrow  minded  old  fellow, — who,  fearing 
lest  his  subjects,  in  their  intercourse  with  foreign  nations, 
might  imbibe  notions  dangerous  to  the  State  and  his  dynasty, 
and  subversive  of  his  freedom  in  the  cutting  off  of  heads,  is- 
sued an  edict  forbidding  them  to  cruise  outside  of  the  sea  of 
China,  and  directing  that  his  vessels  (which  are  said  to  have 
been  greatly  superior  to  the  modern  junh)  should  be  so  al- 
tered as  to  make  them  resemble,  in  shape,  one  of  his  royal 
slippers.  This  entirely  put  a  stop  to  distant  navigation,  as 
it  had  the  effect  of  rendering  the  vessels  somewhat  unman- 
ageable, and  made  it  quite  impossible  for  them  to  make  head- 
way against  contrary  winds.     Notwithstanding  this,  however, 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  11 

the  edict  is  worthy  of  the  seaman's  commendation,  since,  by- 
it,  for  the  first  and  only  time  in  the  world's  history,  he  was 
placed  upon  the  same  footing  with  his  brethren  of  the  land. 
Nevertheless,  it  gave  the  cowp  de  grace  to  any  further  mari- 
time enterprise  on  the  part  of  the  Chinese,  whose  foreign  com- 
merce dates  its  decline  from  the  very  moment  of  its  promul- 
gation, while  their  Navy,  at  the  present  day,  serves  for  little 
else  than  to  transport  troops  from  one  sea-port  to  another  of 
the  "  Flowery  Kingdom  ;  "  this  duty  being  occasionally  en- 
livened by  a  brush  with  the  pirates  who  infest  every  part  of 
their  coast,  in  which  the  pirates  usually  come  off  victorious. 
Thus  have  the  mighty  fallen  ! 

EGYPT. 

Next  come  the  Egyptians ;  of  whose  fleets  and  early  voy- 
ages, however,  we  know  very  little. 

Guided  by  the  stars  or  the  compass,  tradition  represents 
them  as  crossing  the  Indian  Ocean  and  driving  a  brisk  trade 
with  India,  whence  they  carried  home  pearls  and  other  rare 
gems,  together  with  spices,  and  "precious  cloths"  most 
elaborately  embroidered.  Their  paintings  and  sculptures 
represent  their  vessels  generally  as  of  fair  models  and  propell- 
ed by  both  oars  and  sails ;  and  Jal,  in  his  Archeologie  Navale^ 
gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  their  war-galleys,  in  the  time  of 
Rhamses  IV.,  differed  but  little  from  those  built  by  the 
Grecians,  a  thousand  years  later,  and  used  by  them  during 
the  Peloponnesian  war.  One  of  the  bas-reliefs  at  Thebes  rep- 
resents a  naval  victory  gained  by  the  ^Egyptians  over  the 
Indians,  about  1400  B.  C.  The  fleet  of  the  former,  drawn  up 
in  the  form  of  a  crescent,  seems  to  be  endeavoring  to  surround 
that  of  the  latter,  which,  with  oars  boarded  and  sails  furled, 
is  calmly  awaiting  its  approach.  A  lion's  head  (made  of  iron 
or  other  metal),  securely  fastened  to  the  prow  of  each  Egyptian 
galley,  shows  that  ramming  was  then,  as  now,  one  of  the  ex- 
pedients resorted  to  for  the  destruction  of  an  enemy.     This 


12.        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

bas-relief  would  seem  to  confirm  the  statement  of  Herodotus 
that  the  Egyptian  men-of-war  were  manned  by  soldiers  ;  for 
the  rowers  are  here  represented  with  quilted  bonnets,  while 
the  dress  and  arms  of  the  other  men  correspond  exactly  with 
those  of  the  army.  The  length  of  their  war-galleys  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet ;  their 
breadth,  sixteen.  Archers  were  stationed  on  their  raised  poops 
and  forecastles,  and  slingers  wherever  they  could  advantage- 
ously use  their  weapons,  while  the  pike,  spear,  javelin,  battle- 
axe,  pole-axe  and  falchion  were  kept  conveniently  at  hand 
for  the  boarders.  A  wooden  bulwark,  rising  considerably 
above  the  deck,  afforded  protection  to  the  oarsmen  from  all 
missiles  not  coming  vertically  toward  them  ;  but,  to  ward  off 
death  from  the  exposed  combatants,  the  bronze  helmet,  the 
coat  of  mail  and  the  great  wooden  shield^  covered  with  tough 
bull's  hide  were  relied  on.  The  planks,  ribs  and  knees  of 
the  Egyptian  vessels  were  of  the  acacia,  but  their  masts  were 
most  probably  made  of  the  tall  Syrian  fir,  numberless  ship- 
loads of  which  were  annually  imported  into  Egypt.  An  im- 
mense piece  of  timber  placed  on  the  kelson  and  extending 
quite  across  the  bottom  of  the  vessel,  served  as  the  step  of 
the  mast,  which  was  still  further  secured  by  stays  and  shrouds, 
and  lashed,  at  the  foot,  to  a  stout  knee  rising  to  some  height 
in  front  of  it.  Their  yards  were  large,  subtending  a  square 
sail  which  it  is  believed  was  reefed*  according  to  the  fashion 
prevailing  in  our  day.  In  ships  of  war  they  always  remained 
aloft,  but  in  merchantmen  were  lowered  to  the  deck  when  the 
sails  were  furled.  Such  was  the  durability  of  the  acacia,  such 
the  skill  of  the  Egyptian  shipwrights,  that  a  number  of  Egyp- 
tian vessels,  two  hundred  years  old,  were  cruising  in  the  Gulf 
of  Persia,  if  we  may  believe  the  Greeks,  at  the  time  of  Alex- 
ander the  Great. 

To  Isis  the  Egyptians  attribute  the  honor  of  having 
taught  men  the  use  of  sails ;  and  Tacitus  says  the  Suevians 
of  Germany  worshipped  her  "  under  the  figure  of  a  sailing 
ship,  the   symbolic   representation    of  the   goddess."      Ac- 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  13 

cording  to  Wilkinson,  many  of  the  Egyptian  noblemen's 
pleasure  boats  were  adorned  with  linen  sails,  "  richly  colored 
and  embroidered  with  fanciful  devices."  Purple  sails  were 
used  by  members  of  the  royal  household  alone ;  and  it  was 
because  Cleopatra  was  queen  of  Egypt  that  her  galley  carried 
purple  sails  at  the  battle  of  Actium,  and  not,  as  is  erroneous- 
ly supposed,  because  they  were  the  distinguishing  mark  of 
an  admiral's  vessel.  In  steering  their  crafts,  the  Egyptians 
made  use  of  sweeps  or  long  oars,  confined  by  a  strap  to  an 
iron  pin  on  the  quarter,  or  working  in  a  groove  at  the  stern, 
just  as  we  see  large  lighters  steered  at  the  present  day. 
Some  of  their  river  boats  are  represented  with  a  sweep  on 
each  quarter.     For  anchors  they  used  large  stones. 

PHCENICIA. 

Near  Egypt,  and  in  constant  communication  with  it,  was 
the  province  of  Phoenicia,  stretching,  in  length,  along  the 
Mediterranean,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  but  in  breadth 
not  averaging  more  than  three.  Its  chief  cities  Tyre  and 
Sidon  are  frequently  mentioned  in  the  Scriptures,  and  it  is 
to  a  colony  of  the  latter,  which  Josiah,  fourteen  hundred  and 
fifty  years  before  the  Christian  era,  calls  "  the  great  Sidon," 
that  the  former  owes  its  origin.  Tyre,  however,  soon  eclipsed 
the  parent  city  in  wealth  and  commercial  enterprise,  and 
sending  forth  its  redundant  population  to  other  shores,  it 
founded  Byzantium,  Thebes,  Carthage  and  Cadiz.  Tyrean 
galleys,  carrying  on  their  prows  the  brazen  image  of  a  cock, 
the  emblem  of  vigilance,  now  penetrated  to  the  remotest  seas, 
and  about  B.  C.  1000,  when  Tyre  had  attained  the  summit 
of  power,  so  absolute  was  its  rule  upon  the  deep  that  "  a 
Tyrian  sea  became  a  proverbial  expression  for  a  sea  whose 
navigation  was  prohibited  to  all  but  those  who  claimed  the 
ownership  thereof." 

In  the  year  610  B.  C,  the  Phoenicians,  who  had  then  be- 
come subject  to  Egypt,  undertook  the  circumnavigation  of 


14        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Africa,  by  order  of  their  sovereign,  who  was  anxious  to 
ascertain  the  exact  form  of  that  country.  An  account  of  their 
voyage  is  found  in  Herodotus,  whose  quaint  and  concise  nar- 
rative, I  shall  give  in  his  own  words  :  "  This  discovery  was 
first  made  b}^  Necos,  the  Egyptian  king,  who,  on  desisting 
from  the  canal  which  he  had  begun  between  the  Nile  and  the 
Arabian  Gulf,  sent  to  sea  a  number  of  ships  manned  by 
Phoenicians  with  orders  to  make  for  the  Pillars  of  Hercules, 
and  return  to  Egypt  through  them  and  by  the  Mediterranean. 
The  Phoenicians  took  their  departure  from  Egypt  by  way  of 
the  Egyptian  Sea,  and  so  sailed  into  the  Southern  Ocean. 
When  autumn  came,  they  went  ashore,  wherever  they  might 
happen  to  be,  and  having  sown  a  tract  of  land  with  corn 
waited  until  the  grain  was  fit  to  cut.  Having  reaped  it, 
they  again  set  sail ;  and  thus  it  came  to  pass  that  two  whole 
years  went  by,  and  it  was  not  till  the  third  year  that  they 
passed  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  and  made  good  their  voyage 
home.  On  their  return,  they  declared  (I,  for  my  part,  do 
not  believe  them,  but  perhaps  others  may)  that,  in  sailing 
round  Libya,  they  had  the  sun  upon  their  right  hand.  In 
this  way  was  the  extent  of  Libya  first  discovered." 

About  two  centuries  after  their  voyage  around  Africa,  the 
Phoenicians,  stretching  boldly  into  the  North  Atlantic,  reached 
the  British  Isles,  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  the  Cas- 
siterrides,  or  land  of  tin  ;  "'  and  it  is  remarkable,"  says  Wil- 
kinson, "  that  the  word  Kassiteros^  used  by  Homer  to  designate 
tin,  is  the  same  as  the  Arabic  name  Kasdeer,  by  which  that 
metal  is  still  known  in  the  East.  It  is  also  called  Kastira  in 
Sanscrit."  As  tin  was  used  as  an  alloy  in  Egypt  and  Phoenicia, 
long  before  the  traders  of  the  latter  visited  Britain,  it  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  originally  imported  into  those  countries 
from  India  and  Spain ;  but  so  anxious  were  the  Phoenicians 
to  confine  the  knowledge  of  the  rich  mines  of  Cornwall  to 
their  own  people  that  a  Tyrian  vessel  bound  to  Britain,  and 
closely  followed  by  a  Roman  galley,  actually  ran  upon  the 
hidden  rocks  off  the  Scilly  Islands,  its  master  preferring  to 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  15 

suffer  shipwreck  with  his  pursuer  rather  than  to  betray  the 
secret  of  his  countrj^'s  prosperity. 

Of  Tyre,  in  the  height  of  her  grandeur — when  "  her  wise 
men  were  her  pilots,  and  all  the  ships  of  the  sea  were  in  her 
harbor " — we  have  a  magnificent  picture  in  the  twenty- 
seventh  chapter  of  Ezekiel  the  prophet  who,  with  a  pen  of 
fire,  describes  her  riches  and  her  pride.  Well,  then,  might 
"  all  that  handle  the  oar,  all  the  mariners  of  thje  deep,"  lament 
for  her,  with  a  loud  and  bitter  lamentation  when  she  fell, 
and  cry  with  one  voice :  "  What  city  was  like  Tyrus,  like  the 
destroyed  in  the  midst  of  the  sea."  Razed  to  the  ground  by 
Nebuchadnezzar,  after  resisting  the  whole  Babylonian  power 
for  thirteen  years,  "  until  every  head  was  bald  and  every 
shoulder  peeled,"  she  rose  from  her  ashes,  and  again  asserted 
her  supremacy  on  the  Mediterranean.  Two  and  a  half  cen- 
turies later,  however,  she  surrendered,  after  an  heroic  de- 
fense, to  the  military  and  naval  forces  of  "  the  mighty  mur- 
derer," Alexander  the  Great,  and  was  utterly  blotted  out 
from  the  list  of  nations ;  those  of  her  inhabitants  who  escaped 
the  sword  being  sold  into  slavery. 

Aye,  Tyre  is  dead,  but  the  fame  of  her  mariners  will 
never  die  !  for  their  hardihood  and  daring  in  rounding  the 
Cape  of  Storms  and  in  crossing  the  dread  Bay  of  Biscaj^  are 
not  less  worthy  of  the  admiration  of  mankind,  taking  into 
consideration  the  age  in  which  they  lived,  than  is  the  exalted 
courage  shown  by  Magellan  and  his  men,  when,  reduced  to 
the  necessity  of  eating  the  strips  of  hide  with  which  the 
rigging  of  their  vessel  was  covered,  they  still  resolutely  per- 
severed in  their  circumnavigation  of  the  globe. 

THE  GREEKS  AND  PERSIANS.  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THEIR 
WAR  GALLEYS  AND  MERCHANTMEN  AND  OF  CERTAIN 
FAMOUS  SHIPS  OF  ANTIQUITY. 

From  the  Phoenicians  the  Persians  and  the  Greeks  learned 
the  art  of  constructing  and  manoeuvring  the  war  galleys  with 


16        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WOULD. 

which  they  afterward  engaged  in  that  struggle  for  the  mastery 
of  the  ^gean  Sea  which  ended  so  unfortunately  for  the  former ; 
a  correct  understanding  of  which  cannot  be  arrived  at  with- 
out a  description  of  their  vessels,  which  I  shall  here  endeav- 
or to  give  with  as  much  exactness  as  the  meagre  accounts 
and  the  imperfect  representations  of  them  which  have  come 
down  to  our  day  will  permit.  They  were  built  of  various 
kinds  of  wood,  but  ordinarily  of  oak  or  fir,  which  the  Greeks 
were  careful  to  cut  between  the  15th  and  23rd  day  of  the 
moon's  age,  since  they  firmly  believed,  according  to  many  of 
their  writers,  that  wood  cut  at  any  other  time  was  unfit  for 
ship  building,  "  it  being  sure  to  rot  within  a  year."  Whe- 
ther or  not  the  Persians  entertained  any  such  notion,  it  is  im- 
possible for  us  to  find  out.  The  keel  being  laid,  and  con- 
tinued in  a  curved  line  up  the  front,  so  as  to  form  the  stem, 
served  as  a  foundation  for  the  floor  timbers,  whose  lower  ends 
were  let  into  it  and  kept  in  place  by  the  keelson.  Next 
came  the  futtocks  and  the  upper  timbers ;  and  thus  the  frame, 
or  carcass,  as  it  was  called,  being  complete,  the  vessel  was 
ready  for  her  outside  planking,  which  was  secured  to  the 
frame  by  large  iron  nails  or  bolts,  clinched  on  the  inside. 
Alongside  the  kelson,  and  near  the  centre  of  the  hold,  was 
the  well  where  all  the  bilge-water  settled,  and  was  pumped 
out,  as  often  as  was  found  necessary,  by  the  crew.  The 
space  between  the  kelson  and  the  lower  beams,  which 
served  to  support  the  deck  where  the  rowers  sat,  was  used 
for  the  stowage  of  provisions,  rigging,  etc.,  etc. ;  and,  although 
it  must  have  been  of  very  limited  dimensions  in  the  "  long 
ships,"  or  men-of-war  of  light  draught,  whose  greatest  breadth 
of  beam  was  not  over  one  eighth  of  their  length,  while  tlieir 
lower  row-ports  are  believed  to  have  been  but  three  above 
the  level  of  the  water,  yet  it  no  doubt  afforded  ample  room 
for  a  people,  who,  coasting  along  the  shore,  obtained  their 
supplies  every  few  days  from  whatever  port  they  happened  to 
be  in.  Some  of  their  men-of-war  were  single-decked,  with  a 
high  bulwark,  some  of  two  decks,  and  some  even  of  three ; 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  17 

but,  to  suppose  that  there  were  more  than  three  tiers  of  oars, 
one  above  the  other ^  is  absurd.  It  is  possible,  and  indeed  highly 
probable,  that  there  may  have  been,  in  addition  to  these,  long 
sweeps  on  the  poops  and  forecastles  to  assist  in  turning  a  ves- 
sel round  ;  but  the  treatises  written  by  scholars,  learned  in 
everything  except  the  subject  which  they  have  given  their 
opinion  upon,  to  show  how  any  number  of  oars  might  have 
been  pulled  by  placing  the  benches  of  the  rowers  in  diagonal 
ranks  one  above  the  other,  like  a  flight  of  stairs,  have  only 
served  to  convince  their  readers  of  their  entire  miscon- 
ception of  the  true  meaning  of  Greek  and  Latin  sea-terms. 
The  force  of  men  on  each  oar  must,  of  course,  have  varied 
with  the  size  of  the  oar,  and  this  been  regulated,  in  a  great 
degree  by  its  height  above  the  water.  In  bad  weather  the 
lower  oars  were  undoubtedly  taken  in,  and  their  ports  closed. 
By  some  antiquaries  it  has  been  asserted,  that  the  opening  for 
the  oars  was  continuous  throughout  the  whole  length  of  the 
vessel ;  but  that  the  row-ports  were  separate,  is  sufficiently 
proved  by  the  name  given  to  them  by  the  Romans  of  colum- 
baria^ or  pigeon-holes.  The  beak  was  of  hard  wood,  covered 
with  brass,  and  placed  low  down,  so  as  to  pierce  an  enemy 
near  the  water-line.  It  was  of  every  conceivable  form,  and 
sometimes  divided  into  three  sharp  prongs,  which  the  Greeks 
significantly  called  teeth.  The  masts  were  of  pitch  pine,  and 
the  sails  both  square  and  lateral.  Many  of  the  galleys  which 
served  as  flag-ships  carried  flame-colored  sails  ;  and  Alcibiades, 
who  affected  regal  state,  is  said  by  some  authors  to  have 
entered  the  harbor  of  Athens,  upon  his  triumphant  return 
from  Byzantium,  in  a  gilded  galley  with  purple  sails,  and, 
although  Plutarch  denies  this,  it  is  probably  true,  since  it  is 
quite  in  accord  with  the  character  of  the  man.  The  anchors 
were  first  of  stone,  depending  entirely  upon  their  weight  to 
keep  them  on  the  bottom;  next  of  hollow  wood  filled  with 
lead,  and  finally  of  iron,  having  arms  at  their  lower  ends, 
curved  like  a  hook;  to  which  indeed  they  owe  the  name  they 
still  retain, — the    Greek   word    ancuros  signifying   hooked. 


18        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Diodorus  Siculus  relates  that  a  Phoenician  merchant  captain, 
having  loaded  his  vessel  with  silver,  in  Sicily,  until  her  rail 
was  near  the  water's  edge,  extracted  the  lead  from  his 
anchors,  and  refilled  them  with  the  more  valuable  metal. 
As  a  proof  that  stones  were  originally  used  as  anchors  in 
Greece,  as  well  as  in  Egypt,  we  have  the  testimony  of  Aman, 
a  distinguished  Greek  historian,  born  at  Nicomedia,  in 
Bythinia,  about  A.  D.  100,  who  says  he  was  shown  in  a 
Grecian  temple  an  iron  anchor  which  the  priests  declared 
had  belonged  to  the  Argo,  but  which  he  knew,  from  its  close 
resemblance  to  the  anchors  used  in  his  time,  must  have  been 
made  at  a  much  later  period  than  that  assigned  to  the 
Argonautic  expedition.  In  an  out-of-the-way  corner  of  the 
temple,  however,  he  afterward  espied  the  crumbling  frag- 
ments of  a  stone  anchor  which  he  supposes  to  have  been  that 
of  Jason's  vessel. 

Such,  in  general,  were  the  "  long  ships  "  of  the  ancients, 
commonly  known  as  galleys,  which  ploughed  the  waters  of 
the  Mediterranean  for  three  thousand  years.  Painted  with 
a  variety  of  colors,  their  nationality  was  sometimes  known, 
not  only  by  the  flags  which  drooped  from  their  flag-staffs,  but 
also  from  the  images  placed  on  their  prows,  representing  the 
bird,  beast  or  reptile  sacred  to  the  tutelary  god  or  goddess  of 
the  country  to  which  they  belonged.  The  conflicting 
accounts  of  their  speed  render  it  impossible  to  affirm  posi- 
tively what  it  really  was ;  but  it  would  seem  that  under  the 
most  favorable  circumstances,  using  oars  alone,  they  could  not 
make  more  than  100  miles  in  twenty-four  hours  though  for  a 
spurt,  as  in  ramming  for  instance,  they  could  be  forced 
through  the  water  at  the  rate  of  seven  knots  an  hour.  Accord- 
ing to  reliable  data,  it  took  a  single-decked  galley,  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-five  feet  long,  with  fifty-two  oars,  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  to  describe  the  full  arc  of  a  circle  in  turning. 

The  merchantmen,  or  "round  ships,"  differed  from  the 
galleys  in  being  much  shorter  and  broader.  They  were  flat- 
floored,  drawing  but  little  water,  and  depending  rather  upon 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  19 

their  sails  than  upon  their  oars  for  making  a  voyage,  they 
slipped  out  of  port  with  a  fair  wind  and  ran  for  the  nearest 
anchorage  the  moment  it  hauled  ahead,  since  they  were  but 
indifferent  sailers  with  the  wind  forward  of  the  beam.  In 
accompanying  a  naval  armament  as  transports,  they  were 
usually  taken  in  tow  by  the  galleys.  Of  their  internal  economy, 
their  neatness  and  discipline,  we  get  an  excellent  idea  from 
the  admirable  description  left  us  by  Xenophon.^  "I  remember," 
said  Ischomacus  to  Socrates,  '-'-  I  once  went  aboard  a  Phoeni- 
cian ship,  where  I  observed  the  best  example  of  good  order 
I  had  ever  met  with ;  and  especially  was  it  surprising  to 
observe  the  vast  number  of  implements  which  were  necessary 
for  the  management  of  such  a  small  vessel.  What  numbers  of 
oars  and  ship-hooks  were  there  for  taking  the  ship  in  and  out  of 
port !  What  numbers  of  cables  and  hawsers  for  securing  her 
in  dock.  With  how  many  engines  of  war  was  she  armed  for 
her  defence !  What  a  vast  quantity  of  provisions  were  there 
for  the  sustenance  and  support  of  the  sailors !  And,  beside  all 
these,  the  cargo  of  the  ship  was  of  great  bulk,  and  so  rich  that 
the  very  freight  of  it  was  enough  to  satisfy  the  captain  and 
his  people  for  their  voyage  ;  and  it  was  stowed  so  neatly  that 
a  far  larger  space  on  shore  would  not  have  contained  one-half 
the  articles  of  which  it  was  composed.  Here  I  took  notice 
that  the  good  order  and  disposition  of  everything  was  so 
strictly  observed  that,  notwithstanding  the  great  variety 
of  materials  the  ship  contained,  there  was  not  anything 
on  board  which  the  sailors  could  not  find  in  an  instant ;  nor 
was  the  captain  himself  less  acquainted  with  these  particulars 
than  his  men :  he  was  as  ready  in  them  as  a  man  of  learn- 
ing would  be  to  know  the  letters  that  compose  the  name 
Socrates,  and  how  they  stand  in  that  name.  Nor  did  he  only 
know  the  proper  places  for  everything  on  board  his  ship ;  but 
while  he  stood  upon  the  deck  he  was  considering  with  himself 
what  things  might  be  wanting  in  this  voyage,  what  things 
wanted  repair,  and  what  length  of  time  his  provisions  and 
necessaries  would  last ;  for,  as  he  observed  to  me,  it  is  no 


20        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

proper  time  when  a  storm  comes  upon  us,  to  have  the  required 
implements  to  seek  for,  or  to  find  them  out  of  repair;  for 
the  gods  are  never  favorable  to  those  who  are  negligent 
or  lazy;  and  it  is  their  goodness  that  they  do  not  destroy 
us  when  we  are  diligent." ' 

As  to  the  immense  ships  mentioned  by  Diodorus  Siculus, 
Athenseus,  Plutarch  and  others,  it  is  safe  to  conclude  that  like 
the  giants  of  old,  they  existed  only  in  imagination ;  since  the 
description  given  to  us  of  their  prows,  beaks  and  rudders,  and 
of  the  vast  number  of  men  required  to  move  them,  itself 
clearly  demonstrates  that  they  were  impossible  vessels,  having 
no  affinity  for  salt  mate?'. 

The  particular  description  of  one  of  these,  taken  from 
Athenseus,  which  Burchett  gives  us  in  his  "  Complete  History 
of  the  Most  Remarkable  Transactions  at  Sea,"  is  so  entertain- 
ing, however,  that  we  cannot  forbear  transcribing  it  for  the  ben- 
efit of  such  of  our  readers  as  may  delight  in  the  marvellous : 
"  We  should  be  wanting  to  the  subject  we  are  treating  of," 
says  he,  "  as  well  as  to  the  respect  due  to  the  memory  of  that 
great  master  of  the  Mechanicks,  Archimedes,  should  we  omit 
giving  an  account  of  the  famous  ship  said  to  have  been  built 
by  him  for  Hieron,  King  of  Syracuse,  which  we  cannot  better 
do  than  in  this  place.  It  was  so  extraordinary  a  piece  of 
workmanship,  that  one  Moschion  wrote  a  particular  treatise 
concerning  the  same,  the  substance  whereof  Athenseus  has 
preserved  to  us  in  the  fifth  book  of  his  Dcipnosophistce.  For 
the  building  of  this  ship  (he  tells  us)  there  was  cut  down  on 
the  mountain  ^tna  so  much  timber  as  would  have  made 
sixty  ordinary  gallies  ;  beside  which,  the  wood  for  tree-nails, 
ribs  and  knees,  was  procured  from  other  parts  of  Sicily,  and 
from  Italy  ;  and  materials  for  cordage  were  fetched  from 
Spain  and  the  river  Rhodanus,  as  were  other  necessaries  from 
various  places.  King  Hieron,  having  hired  a  number  of  ship- 
wrights and  other  workmen  for  the  service,  placed  Archias,  a 
Corinthian  architect,  over  them,  but  all  under  the  supreme 
direction  of  Archimedes,  and  exhorting  them  diligently  to 


2 HE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  21 

carry  on  the  work,  he  to  encourage  them  thereto,  would  be 
whole  days  present  at  their  labors. 

"  The  number  of  men  employed  was  three  hundred  master- 
workmen,  besides  their  servants,  who  in  six  months  time  built 
the  ship  up  to  half  of  its  designed  height,  and  as  the  several 
parts  were  finished  they  covered  them  with  sheet-lead,  to  pre- 
serve them  from  the  weather.  When  it  was  brought  thus  for- 
ward, Hieron  gave  directions  for  removing  it  into  the  sea,  and 
that  the  rest  of  the  work  should  be  perfected  afloat ;  but  how 
to  get  this  vast  pile  into  the  water  they  knew  not,  till 
Archimedes  invented  the  engine  called  the  helix,,  by  which, 
with  the  assistance  of  very  few  hands,  he  drew  the  ship  into 
the  sea  ;  where,  in  six  months  more,  she  was  entirely 
completed,  and  driven  full  of  large  nails  of  brass,  many  of  ten 
pound  weight,  and  others  of  fifteen,  which  were  let  into  the 
timbers  by  large  auger-holes,  to  riret  them  well  together,  and 
covered  on  the  outside  with  pitched  cloths,  over  which  were 
nailed  plates  of  lead. 

"  The  ship  had  twenty  tire  of  oars,  and  three  decks ;  to  the 
lowest  whereof,  next  the  hold,  there  was  a  descent  by  several 
pair  of  stairs.  The  middle-deck  had  on  each  side  of  it  fifteen 
apartments  for  dining,  each  furnished  with  four  couches,  such 
as  they  used  to  lie  on  at  their  meals ;  and  on  the  same  deck  was 
also  the  place  for  the  accommodation  for  the  mariners,  whereon 
were  fifteen  couches,  and  three  large  chambers  for  men  and 
their  wives,  each  having  three  beds,  next  which  was  the  kitchen 
for  the  poop,  the  floors  of  all  which  were  paved  with  raosaick 
work,  wherein  was  represented  the  whole  story  of  the  Iliad  ; 
and  suitable  to  so  rich  a  floor  was  the  workmanship  of  the  ceil- 
ing and  door  to  each  apartment.  On  the  upper  deck  was  a 
place  for  exercise,  and  a  fine  walk,  wherein  were  several 
garden-plots,  furnished  with  plants  of  all  kinds,  which  were 
watered  by  leaden  pipes  laid  to  them  from  a  great  receptacle 
of  fresh  water  ;  where  were  also  several  arbors  of  ivy, 
and  vines  set  in  hogsheads  of  earth,  whose  roots  were  watered 
in  like  manner  as  the  plants.  Next  to  these  was  an  apartment 


22        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

devoted  to  the  pleasures  of  love,  the  pavement  whereof  was 
of  agate,  and  other  the  richest  stones  that  were  to  be  found  in 
Sicily.  The  roof  was  of  cyprus-wood,  and  the  doors  of  ivory, 
and  the  wood  of  the  almug-tree.  It  had  three  beds  in  it,  and 
was  richly  adorned  with  pictures,  statues,  and  drinking 
vessels  of  exquisite  workmanship.  Adjoining  to  this  was  a 
room  for  retirement  and  conversation,  which  was  furnished 
with  five  couches,  and  wainscoted  with  box,  with  doors  of  the 
same  wood  ;  within  this  there  was  a  library,  and  in  the  ceil- 
ing thereof  a  fine  clock,  made  in  imitation  of  the  great  dial  of 
Syracuse ;  as  also  a  bagnio,  with  three  cisterns  of  brass,  and 
a  bath  which  held  forty  gallons,  adorned  with  the  gems  called 
tauromenites.  There  were  also  a  great  number  of  cabins  for 
the  marine  soldiers,  together  with  twenty  stables  for  horses, 
ten  on  each  side  of  the  deck,  with  good  accommodation  for 
the  horsemen  and  grooms.  In  the  forecastle  was  the  recep- 
tacle for  fresh  water,  made  of  planks,  well  lined  with  cloth 
and  pitch,  which  held  two  hundred  and  fifty-three  hogsheads; 
and  near  that  was  a  well,  lined  with  sheet-lead,  which  being 
kept  full  of  sea-water,  nourished  great  numbers  of  fish.  From 
the  ship's  sides  there  jutted  out,at  a  proper  distance  from  each 
other,  several  beams,  whereon  were  made  places  for  keeping 
wood,  as  also  ovens,  kitchens,  mills,  and  other  necessary 
offices ;  each  of  which  beams  was  supported  on  the  outside 
by  a  carved  image  nine  feet  high;  and  the  whole  ship  was 
very  handsomely  painted. 

"  It  was  also  furnished  with  eight  wooden  towers,  two  in  the 
forecastle,  two  in  the  poop,  and  the  rest  in  the  midships ;  from 
each  of  which  there  jutted  out  two  beams,  whereon  was 
raised  a  breast-work,  full  of  loop-holes,  from  whence  an  en- 
emy might  be  annoyed  with  stones.  Each  tower  was  full  of 
those  and  other  missive  weapons,  and  constantly  guarded  by 
four  soldiers,  completely  armed,  with  two  archers.  On  this 
upper  deck  there  was  also  raised  a  stage,  with  a  breast-work 
round  it,  whereon  was  placed  a  machine  invented  by  Archime- 
des, which  would  fling  stones  of  three  hundred  pound  weight. 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  23 

and  darts  of  eighteen  feet  long,  to  the  distance  of  a  hundred 
and  twenty  paces ;  round  which  machine  was  hung,  by  chains 
of  brass,  a  kind  of  curtains,  composed  of  large  cables,  for  its 
security.  The  ship  was  furnished  with  three  masts,  and  each 
of  them  with  two  engines  for  throwing  stones,  from  whence 
also  large  iron  hooks  and  dolphins  of  lead  were  to  be  flung 
into  an  enemy's  ship.  It  was  also  fortified  with  an  iron  palis- 
sade  all  round,  to  prevent  an  enemy's  boarding,  and  had 
grappling  irons  in  readiness  in  all  quarters  wherewith  to 
seize  and  bring  to  such  hostile  vessels  as  it  might  be  engaged 
with. 

"  Sixty  soldiers,  completely  armed,  kept  continual  guard  on 
each  side  of  the  ship,  and  as  many  at  each  of  the  masts,  and 
their  respective  engines.  Their  round-tops  were  of  brass, 
wherein  was  constant  watch  kept  by  three  men  in  the  main- 
top, and  two  in  each  of  the  others  ;  to  whom,  in  case  of  action, 
stones  were  to  be  conveyed  in  baskets  by  the  help  of  certain 
tackle  for  that  purpose,  and  they  were  to  be  supplied  with 
darts  and  arrows  by  boys  appointed  to  that  service.  The 
fore  and  mizen  masts  were  without  difficulty  procured  in 
Sicily ;  but  a  main  mast  of  proper  dimensions  was  hard  to  be 
got,  till  at  length  one  was  found  in  the  mountains  of  Britain, 
which  was  brought  down  to  the  sea  by  Phileas,  an  engineer 
of  Tauromenium.  The  ship  was  furnished  with  four  anchors 
of  wood  and  eight  of  iron.  And  tho'  it  was  of  so  vast 
,  a  depth,  its  pump,  by  a  device  of  Archimedes,  was  managed 
by  one  man.  She  was  at  first  called  the  Syracuse  ;  but,  when 
Hieron  thought  fit  to  send  her  to  Ptolemy,  he  named  her 
the  Alexandria.  She  had  several  tenders  to  accompany  her, 
one  whereof  was  a  galley  called  the  Cercurus,  and  the  rest 
fisher-boats,  and  other  small  vessels.  Her  whole  company 
consisted  of  an  immense  multitude,  there  being  in  the  fore- 
castle alone  six  hundred  seamen,  always  in  readiness  to 
execute  such  orders  as  should  be  given  ;  and  the  power 
of  punishing  all  faults  and  misdemeanors  done  on  board  her 
was  committed  to  the  captain,  master,  and  master's  mates, 


24        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

who  gave  sentence  according  to  the  laws  of  Syracuse.  There 
were  put  on  board  her  sixty  thousand  bushels  of  corn, 
ten  thousand  barrels  of  salt-fish,  twenty  thousand  barrels  of 
flesh,  and  as  many  bales  of  goods  and  necessaries,  besides  all 
the  provisions  for  her  company.  But  at  length  Hieron,  find- 
ing that  all  his  harbors  were  either  very  dangerous  for  a 
ship  of  so  vast  a  burthen,  or  else  not  capable  at  all  to  receive 
her  (as  'tis  reasonable  to  believe  not  any  of  them  were), 
he  came  to  a  resolution  of  presenting  her  to  Ptolemy,  King  of 
Egypt,  as  hath  been  before  observed,  to  whom  she  was 
accordingly  sent,  being  towed  in  safety  to  Alexandria.  This 
Ptolemy,  ^surnamed  Philopator,  was,  as  Athenseus  also  tells 
us,  already  possessed  of  two  ships  of  extraordinary  dimen- 
sions of  his  own  building, — one  of  which  had  forty  tire  of 
oars,  and  was  four  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  length, 
and  in  breadth  fifty-seven  ;  its  height  from  the  keel  to 
the  bulkhead  of  the  forecastle  was  seventy-two  feet,  and  to 
the  poop-Ian  thorn  seventy-nine  and  a  half.  When  the  king 
made  an  experiment  of  her  sailing,  she  carried  above  four 
thousand  rowers,  four  hundred  seamen,  and  two  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  fifty  marine  soldiers,  besides  a  great  num- 
ber of  other  people  between  decks,  with  a  vast  quantity 
of  provisions." 

MINOS,  KING  OF  CRETE,  CLEARS  THE  GRECIAN  SEAS  OF 

PIRATES. 

Minos,  mentioned  by  Homer  as  a  Phoenician  adventurer, 
chosen  by  the  Cretans  to  rule  over  them,  seems  to  have  been 
the  first  of  the  Grecian  princes  who  had  a  naval  armament 
sufiiciently  powerful  to  put  down  the  pirates,  who,  previous 
to  and  during  the  first  years  of  his  reign,  infested  the  Grecian 
Seas  to  such  an  extent  as  to  stop  commerce,  and  even  to  force 
the  inhabitants  along  the  shores  to  destroy  their  habitations 
and  retire  inland;  so  that  nothing  was  to  be  seen  on  ap- 
proaching the  Grecian  coast,  but  a  piratical  village,  or  a  poor 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  25 

fisherman's  hut.  No  sooner  had  piracy  been  suppressed, 
however,  by  the  wise  Phoenician,  than  the  Greeks  turned 
their  attention  to  maritime  affairs,  and,  building  seaboard 
towns  and  cities,  soon  acquired  wealth,  and,  as  a  natural 
consequence,  power.  Among  the  most  important  of  their 
commercial  towns  was  Corinth,  which,  situated  on  the  Isthmus 
between  the  Saronic  and  Corinthian  gulfs,  soon  became  the 
centre  of  trade,  not  only  between  Asia  and  Europe,  but  for 
Greece  itself,  since  "  formerly  the  Grecians,  both  within  and 
without  Peloponnesus,  more  accustomed  to  land  than  sea, 
could  have  no  traffic  with  one  another,  without  passing 
through  its  territory."  To  it  Thucydides  gives  the  honor  of 
having  built  the  first  Grecian  men-of-war,  and  he  says  further, 
that  Aminocles,  a  Corinthian  ship-carpenter,  built  four  of  these 
vessels  for  the  Samians.  "  The  oldest  sea-fight,"  he  adds, 
"  was  that  of  the  Corinthians  against  the  Corcyreans ;"  but 
as  he  goes  on  to  state  that  until  the  Greeks  began  to  prepare 
for  the  threatened  invasion  of  the  Persians  their  vessels  were 
without  decks,  it  is  evident  that  this  was  a  small  affair,  as 
was  indeed  every  other  naval  engagement,  recorded  by  his- 
tory or  tradition,  up  to  the  time  of  that  great  battle,  which 
we  shall  now  endeavor  to  describe,  wherein  republican  valor 
opposed  an  effectual  barrier  to  the  further  advance  of  the 
forces  of  the  Persian  king. 


WAR  BETWEEN  GREECE  AND  PERSIA.     GREAT  SEA-FIGHT 
OFF  SALAMIS. 

In  the  four  hundred  and  eightieth  year  before  Christ, 
Xerxes,  the  youthful  monarch  of  Persia,  commenced  his  march 
from  Asia  into  Europe,  for  the  purpose  of  revenging  upon 
the  Greeks  the  death  of  those  Persians  who,  ten  years  pre- 
viously, had  fallen  on  the  plains  of  Marathon.  Seven  years, 
according  to  Herodotus,  had  been  consumed  in  preparing  for 
this  undertaking,  and  all  the  resources  of  the  Persian  Empire, 
both  by  land  and  sea,  were  brought  into  requisition,  to  ensure 
3 


26  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

its  successful  termination.  The  various  nations  composing 
the  vast  army  of  the  Eastern  despot,  were  seven  days  and 
nights  in  passing  over  the  bridge  of  boats  at  the  Hellespont ; 
and  as  they  deployed  before  their  leader  on  the  Thracian  side 
of  the  Strait,  preceded  by  ten  thousand  Persians  carrying 
garlands  on  their  heads,  seemed  more  like  frantic  Bacchanals 
than  stern  warriors  bent  upon  encountering  the  resolute  sol- 
diers of  Greece. 

The  fleet  which  accompanied  this  unwieldy  army  was 
composed  of  twelve  hundred  and  seven  vessels,  without  includ- 
ing the  transports,  and  carried  two  hundred  and  forty-one 
thousand  four  hundred  men.  It  was  divided  into  tliree  grand 
divisions,  each  of  which  was  commanded  by  a  Persian  of  the 
highest  rank,  while  the  reserve,  consisting  of  the  Dorian  and 
Carian  triremes,  one  hundred  strong,  was  intrusted  to  the 
care  of  the  celebrated  Artemisia,  Queen  of  Halicarnassus ; 
the  Admiral-in-Chief  being  no  less  a  personage  than  Aria- 
bignes,  a  son  of  the  great  Darius,  and  half-brother  of  the 
present  king. 

Like  the  army,  this  immense  fleet  left  Asia  with  great 
pomp ;  and  it  steered  for  Greece  in  the  full  assurance  of 
complete  success.  Skirting  along  the  coasts  of  Thrace,  Mace- 
don  and  Thessaly,  after  days  of  tiresome  rowing,  and  nights 
spent  in  anxious  watching,  its  van  division  came  in  sight  of 
three  Grecian  guard  vessels,  stationed  off  the  island  of  Sciathus, 
about  twenty  miles  north-east  of  Artemisium  in  Euboea, 
where  the  main  body  of  the  Grecian  fleet  lay  at  anchor. 
Leaving  their  look-out  vessels  to  fall  into  the  enemy's  hands, 
the  Greeks  now  retired  from  Artemisium  to  Chalcis,  with  a 
view  of  holding  the  Euripus,  that  narrow  channel  which  runs 
between  Euboea  and  the  mainland,  while  the  Persians  pressed 
forward  to  Artemisium,  where  they  offered  up  the  bravest  of 
their  Greek  captives  a  sacrifice  to  their  gods.  But  fortu- 
nately for  the  Greeks,  as  we  learn  from  Herodotus,  Boreas,  the 
Northwind,  tired  of  the  dreary  life  he  w^as  leading  in  the 
frozen  regions  about  the  Pole,  had  moved  down  into  Attica, 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  27 

ages  before  this,  where  he  saw,  fell  in  love  with,  and  married 
Orithya,  the  daughter  of  an  Athenian  named  Erectheus. 
Orithya,  who,  by  this  marriage,  had  become  immortal,  was 
very  beautiful,  and,  like  all  the  Grecian  women  a  great 
coquette,  and  she  now,  with  many  tears  and  supplications, 
implored  her  husband  to  go  to  the  relief  of  her  distressed 
countrymen,  promising,  if  he  did  so,  to  be  a  model  wife  to 
him  in  the  future,  and  threatening  if  he  did  not,  to  petition  Jove 
for  a  divorce,  and  pass  the  remainder  of  her  days  with  his  rival 
and  bitter  opponent,  Auster,  the  South  wind,  whom,  he  well 
knew,  all  the  Grecian  women  adored.  Upon  this,  Boreas, 
who  loved  his  wife  dearly,  became  fearfully  angry,  and,  sum- 
moning Pluto  and  all  the  Furies  to  his  aid,  he  raised  such  a 
dreadful  storm  as  had  never  before  been  known  to  rage  upon 
the  coasts  of  Greece. 

' '  The  wind  blew  as  t'wad  blaun  its  last, 
The  rattling  shou'rs  rose  on  the  blast ; 
The  speedy  gleams  the  darkness  swallowed, 
Loud,  deep  and  lang  the  thunders  bellowed — 
That  night  a  child  might  understand 
The  Deil  had  business  on  his  hand." 

And  when  day  dawned  the  rocky  beach  of  Euboea  was 
strewn  with  wrecks,  while  four  hundred  Persian  galleys  had 
actually  gone  to  the  bottom,  some  foundering  in  the  open  sea 
and  others  at  their  anchors. 

Encouraged  by  this  the  Grecian  fleet  advanced  once  more 
to  Artemisium,  while  the  Persians  entered  the  Pagassean 
Gulf,  about  ten  miles  distant,  to  repair  damages. 

Confronting  each  other  thus,  neither  party  could  long 
remain  inactive,  and  in  the  course  of  as  many  days,  three 
battles  had  been  fought,  without  any  decisive  result,  when 
news  reached  the  Grecian  commander-in-chief,  Eurybiades,  a 
Spartan,  that  through  the  neglect  of  the  Phocian  guard,  posted 
on  the  summit  of  Anopoea,  Leonidas  had  been  surrounded, 
and  that  the  vast  Persian  host,  leaving  the  dead  bodies  of 
the  immortal  three  hundred  in  their  rear,  was  even  then  car- 


28        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

rying  fire  and  sword  into  Phocis  and  Boeotia.  Such  evil 
intelligence  could  not  long  be  concealed  from  the  fleet,  and 
no  sooner  was  it  generally  disseminated,  than  officers  and  men 
were  alike  clamorous  for  a  retreat,  which,  being  resolved 
upon,  was  effected  in  excellent  order,  the  Corinthians  on  the 
left  leading,  as  the  column  was  to  move  in  that  direction,  and 
the  Athenians,  who  were  anchored  on  the  extreme  right, 
nearest  to  the  enemy,  getting  under  way  last,  and  bringing 
up  the  rear.  They  continued  their  flight  to  Salamis,  unmo- 
lested by  the  Persians,  who  were  content  with  moving  for- 
ward as  far  as  Histea  and  Artemisium,  and  taking  military 
possession  of  the  important  island  of  Euboea.  Three  days 
did  the  subjects  of  the  "  Great  King "  remain  idle  in  the 
bay  of  Artemisium  ;  but  on  the  fourth  they  weighed  anchor, 
and  shaping  their  course  along  the  shores  of  Locris  and  Boe- 
otia, passed,  on  the  fifth  day,  through  the  Euripus,  and,  on 
the  seventh,  came  to  anchor  off  Phalerum,  in  Attica,  where 
they  made  a  connection  with  the  left  wing  of  their  army, 
and  again  found  themselves  face  to  face  with  the  Grecian 
fleet ;  whereupon  Eurybiades  assembled  his  divisional  and 
squadron  commanders  on  board  his  vessel,  and,  pointing 
out  to  them  the  Persian  fleet,  informed  them  that  a  bearer  of 
despatches  had  just  reached  him  with  the  sad  news  of  the 
taking  of  Athens  by  the  Persian  army :  "  Thus,  O  command- 
ers ! "  said  he,  "  their  land  and  sea  forces  have  made  a  com- 
plete junction,  and  it  remains  for  us  to  decide  what  course 
we  shall  pursue  in  this  emergency." 

An  excited  conference  now  took  place,  where  all,  with  the 
exception  of  Themistocles,  the  Athenian  admiral,  advocated 
an  immediate  retreat  to  the  isthmus  of  Corinth,  and  in  this 
humor  the  council  of  war  broke  up,  the  great  officers  of 
which  it  was  composed  repairing  to  their  respective  flag  ships, 
fully  intent  on  carrying  out  their  designs. 

But,  fortunately  for  civilization,  literature  and  art,  there 
was  one  man  in  the  Athenian  fleet — a  former  teacher  of 
rhetoric  at  Athens,  noted  for  his  "  strong  common  sense  " — 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  29 

who  seems  to  have  been  a  brave  fellow,  and  to  have  perfectly 
comprehended  the  situation.  His  name  was  ^Mnesiphilus, 
and  when  Themistocles  returned  to  his  vessel,  he  met  him  at 
the  gangway,  with  the  anxious  inquiry, — "  What  is  the  de- 
termination of  the  council  ?  "  "  To  retreat  instantly,"  said 
Themistocles.  "  Then,"  replied  Mnesiphilus, ''  Greece  is  lost ; 
for  if  the  confederate  fleet  once  disperses,  no  human  power 
can  bring  it  together  again  :  each  division,  each  squadron, 
yea,  each  vessel  of  it,  will  repair  to  the  state  to  which  it 
belongs,  and  all,  by  detachments,  eventually  fall  into  the 
enemy's  hands.  Can  nothing  be  done  to  avert  such  a  calamity? 
Cannot  you  persuade  Eurybiades  to  re-convene  the  council?" 
Moved  by  the  earnestness  of  his  captain,  Themistocles 
again  took  his  seat  in  his  barge,  and  ordered  the  of&cer  of  it 
to  convey  him  to  the  galley  of  Eurybiades,  where  another 
conference  was  held,  which  would  have  resulted  like  the 
former,  but  for  Themistocles,  who,  supported  by  the  com- 
mander-in-chief, rose  and  spoke  as  follows :  "  O  Grecians  ! 
whither,  and  to  what  end  would  you  fly  ?  Defeated  every- 
where on  land,  the  fate  of  your  countrymen  depends  solely 
on  their  fleet,  which  has  been  put  afloat  at  so  great  an  ex- 
pense, and,  except  in  numbers,  is  in  every  respect  superior 
to  that  of  the  barbarians.  In  these  straits  your  flanks  will 
be  protected  by  the  land,  while  Ariabignes  cannot  detach  any 
portion  of  his  force  to  sail  around  Salamis  and  attack  our 
rear,  lest  getting  wind  of  his  design,  we  should'  fall  upon 
such  detachment  with  our  whole  strength,  and  destroy  it 
utterly,  before  the  rest  of  the  Persian  fleet  could  come  to  its 
support.  At  the  isthmus  of  Corinth  you  will  have  no  such 
advantage,  for —  "  "  Themistocles  !  "  here  interrupted  Adi- 
mantus,  the  Corinthian  admiral,  "  those  who  in  the  public 
games  rise  up  before  their  time  are  beaten  with  many  stripes ! " 
"  True,  admiral,"  was  the  calm  reply ;  "  but  those  who  refuse 
to  take  part  in  the  contest  cannot  win  the  crown."  *'  It  ill 
becomes  you,"  retorted  Adimantus, — "you  who  have  no 
home,  to  attempt  to  dictate  terms  to  us  !  "     "  Corinthian  ! " 


30        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

exclaimed  Themistocles,  now  justly  moved  to  anger,  *'  What 
you  say  is  as  false  as  it  is  ungenerous  !  While  Athens  pos- 
'sesses  two  hundred  war-galleys,  which  constitute  more  than 
half  of  the  united  forces  of  all  Greece,  she  cannot  be  without 
a  home,  since  brave  men  may  live  at  sea  as  well  as  on  the 
land.  What  I  desire  to  impress  upon  all  here  present  is,  the 
stubborn  fact  that  in  this  strait  all  the  advantage  is  with  us, 
while  at  the  isthmus,  on  the  contrary,  it  will  be  entirely  with 
our  enemies,  who,  taking  advantage  of  their  numerical  supe- 
riority, will  not  fail  to  attack  us  simultaneously  in  front, 
flank  and  rear,  thus  ensuring  our  utter  destruction,  and  mak- 
ing of  every  free-born  Greek  a  Persian  slave !  This  is  so 
clear  to  my  mind  that,  unless  you  decide  to  fight  where  you 
are,  I  shall  immediately  take  on  board  of  the  vessels  I  com- 
mand, all  the  Athenian  women  and  children  they  can  accom- 
modate, and,  abandoning  the  Confederacy  forever,  sail  directly 
for  the  southern  coast  of  Italy,  where  Athens  has  already 
founded  a  colony." 

Moved  more  by  the  threat  contained  in  the  last  words  of 
the  great  Athenian  than  by  the  force  of  his  arguments,  sound 
as  the}^  were,  the  allied  commanders  now  resolved  to  give 
battle  where  they  were,  and  commenced  making  preparations 
accordingl}^ 

At  Phalerum,  on  the  other  hand,  Xerxes  had  called  to- 
gether his  Great  Lords,  and  Wise  Counsellors,  to  consider 
the  expediency  of  attacking  the  Grecian  fleet  without  delay  ; 
and,  as  he  spoke  first  in  the  assembly,  declaring  himself  in 
favor  of  this  project,  his  words  produced  a  marvellous  unan- 
imity of  sentiment  among  its  members,  all  of  whom,  without 
exception,  voted  with  their  Imperial  Master,  whispering  one 
to  another,  as  they  did  so,  that  his  speech  was  golden  and  its 
arguments  orient  pearls. 

At  this  moment,  however,  a  beautiful  woman  entere^i  the 
council-chamber,  and,  sweeping  proudly  by  the  crowd  of 
crouching  slaves  who  surrounded  the  king,  stood  erect,  and 
with  flashing  eyes,  before  him. 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  31 

"  What  is  your  opinion,  Queen  Artemisia?"  asked  Xerxes, 
as  he  half  rose  from  his  throne  to  receive  her. 

''  By  the  shade  of  your  father,  the  great  Darius,  I  call 
upon  you,  O  King ! "  she  replied,  "  to  abandon  your  rash 
design !  On  land  you  have,  thus  far,  been  victorious,  and 
you  will  continue  to  be  so,  so  long  as  your  fleet  remains  in- 
tact, to  keep  open  your  communications  with  Asia,  whence 
reinforcements  and  provisions  in  abundance  are  hourly  arriv- 
ing ;  but  one  great  defeat  at  sea  must  insure  your  ruin  ;  for 
you  will  then  not  only  have  to  contend  with  the  whole  power 
of  the  Greeks,  who,  animated  by  their  victory,  will  rise  to  a 
man  to  oppose  you,  but  also  with  gnawing  hunger,  that  worst 
of  all  enemies,  which  causes  the  friend  to  forsake  his  friend, 
the  husband  his  wife,  the  mother  to  abandon  her  children ! 
Assailed  by  its  pangs,  your  troops  will  commence  a  disorderly 
retreat  to  their  native  land,  and  every  foot  of  their  march 
will  be  enriched  by  the  carcasses  of  those  who  perish  by  the 
way !  Believe  me,  O  King ;  you  have  everything  to  lose 
and  nothing  to  gain  by  a  naval  combat.  Be  wise,  then,  and 
remain  inactive ;  and  you  will  shortly  find  the  Greeks  dis- 
persing of  their  own  accord,  since  they  have  but  a  few  days' 
provisions  on  board  their  vessels,  and  cannot  obtain  supplies 
from  the  island  of  Salamis — and  thus,  by  their  own  act,  you 
will  remain  master  of  the  Grecian  seas  !  " 

Xerxes  now  rose,  and  although  he  complimented  the 
queen  upon  her  discourse,  broke  up  the  assembly,  with  the 
sullen  resolve  to  be  guided  alone  by  his  own  rash  judgment. 
He  therefore  gave  orders  to  Ariabignes  to  get  ready  for 
action,  and  to  prepare  a  seat  for  his  sovereign  on  some  high 
cliff  overlooking  Salamis,  whence  the  whole  sea  of  battle 
could  be  discerned. 

And  now  all  was  bustle  and  activity  in  both  fleets ;  Cimon, 
the  son  of  the  celebrated  Miltiades,  with  all  the  principal 
young  men  of  Athens,  reinforcing  the  Greeks,  while  to  each 
Persian  vessel  were  added  thirty  veteran  soldiers,  well  skilled 
in  the  use  of  the  javelin  and  the  bow. 


32        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs  when  Themistocles, 
fearing  that  unless  an  engagement  was  brought  on  within 
twenty-four  hours,  some  of  the  Grecian  commanders  would 
withdraw  from  the  Confederacy,  sent  one  of  his  slaves,  a  Per- 
sian named  Sikinnos,  who  acted  as  tutor  to  his  children,  to 
say  to  Xerxes  that  his  master  was  anxious  to  desert  to  the  Per- 
sians, and  therefore  informed  him  that  grave  dissensions  had 
arisen  among  the  Grecian  admirals,  who  would  soon  be  under 
way  with  their  comrades  for  their  respective  States,  and  that 
such  another  opportunity  would,  in  all  probability,  never 
again  be  offered  to  him  of  capturing  the  combined  naval 
forces  of  Greece.  The  vain  monarch  easily  falling  into 
the  snare  laid  for  him  by  the  wily  Athenian,  issued  an  edict 
declaring  that  the  Greeks  were  about  to  fly,  and  assuring  his 
commanders  that  their  heads  would  pay  the  forfeit  should  a 
single  one  of  the  Grecian  vessels  escape  them. 

Then  night  spread  her  sable  mantle  over  the  sea,  and 
under  its  cover  the  little  island  of  Psyttaleia,  lying  between 
Salamis  and  the  mainland  was  taken  possession  of  by  a  large 
body  of  Persian  archers,  and  an  Egyptian  squadron  dispatch- 
ed to  cruise  off  Nis£ea  in  Megaris,  for  the  purpose  of  inter- 
cepting the  retreat  of  the  Greeks  in  that  direction ;  and,  this 
being  done,  Ariabignes  drew  out  the  rest  of  his  force  in  order 
of  battle,  in  the  form  of  a  semicircle,  and  after  giving  strict 
orders  to  the  captains  of  his  galleys  to  keep  underway  all 
night  lest  any  of  the  Grecians  should  endeavor  to  steal  by 
them  and  make  off,  he  waited  anxiously  for  the  morrow. 

In  the  meantime,  Aristides,  the  Just,  who,  returning  from 
banishment,  and  protected  by  the  darkness,  had  passed  in  a 
small  boat,  unchallenged,  along  the  whole  Persian  line,  gave 
notice  to  Eurybiades  of  what  he  had  seen,  thus  enabling  that 
commander  to  form  his  plan  of  battle  with  a  full  knowledge 
of  the  disposition  of  his  enemy;  and  when  day  dawned  the 
barbarians  discovered,  to  their  dismay,  that,  instead  of  being 
scattered  in  flight,  as  they  had  expected  to  find  it,  the 
Grecian  fleet,  vastly  inferior  to  them  in  numbers,  but  their 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  33 

superior  in  everything  else,  was  drawn  up  at  a  little  distance 
in  battle  array,  with  the  Athenians  on  the  right  and  the 
Spartans  on  the  left,  opposed  respectively,  to  the  Phoenicians 
and  the  lonians,  who  formed  the  extremes  of  their  own  ad- 
vanced line,  while  the  intrepid  Artemisia  with  her  Dorians 
led  their  reserve. 

A  light  breeze  sprang  up  and  the  sun  rose  in  all  its  East- 
ern splendor,  whereupon  the  Persians,  both  on  sea  and  land, 
prostrated  themselves — an  impressive  spectacle  I  for  the  fleet 
consisted  of  not  less  than  a  thousand  vessels,  carrjdng  a 
quarter  of  a  million  of  men,  while  all  the  adjacent  shores,  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  were  lined  with  an  innumerable 
multitude  of  soldiers  and  camp-followers  anxious  to  witness 
the  impending  struggle.  On  their  side  the  Greeks  offered 
up  sacrifices  to  all  the  gods,  and  poured  out  a  special  libation 
to  Zeus,  the  Protector,  and  to  Poseidon,  Ruler  of  the  Seas. 

Just  as  these  religious  ceremonies  were  concluded,  a 
Grecian  trireme,  which  a  few  days  before  had  been  de- 
spatched to  JEgina,  was  descried  returning,  hotly  pursued 
by  the  enemy.  An  Athenian  trireme,  commanded  by  Amei- 
nas,  a  brother  of  the  poet  ^schylus,  dashed  forward  to  her 
assistance.  At  this  Eurybiades,  seeing  that  all  things  were 
ready,  and  that  the  ardor  of  his  captains  could  no  longer  be 
restrained,  made  the  usual*  signal  to  engage,  b}'  displaying 
above  the  deck  of  his  vessel  a  gilded  shield.  The  Grecian 
trumpets  now  sounded  the  advance,  when  the  right  wing 
moved  forward  in  admirable  order,  followed  instantly  by  the 
whole  line — all  sweeping  toward  the  barbarians,  and  all, 
with  one  accord,  bending  to  their  oars  and  loudly  chanting 
their  battle  cry,  0,  8on%  of  Hellenes.,  forward^  free  your  country. 
The  Athenians  were  first  engaged,  next  the  ^ginetans,  and 
soon  after  the  battle  became  general,  with  this  advantage  on 
the  part  of  the  Greeks  that  their  vessels  were  in  rapid  motion 
when  they  came  in  contact  with  the  Persian  fleet,  which  at 
this  critical  moment  was  just  beginning  to  move  forward. 

*  For  ancient  and  modern  methods  of  signalling,  see  a  very  able  article 
by  Capt.  S.  B.  Luce,  U.S.N.,  in  Johnson's  Cyclopaedia. 


84        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Thus  a  great  many  of  the  Persians  were  sunk  at  the  first  on- 
set, and  a  gap  made  in  their  line,  which  although  quickly  filled 
by  vessels  coming  up  from  the  rear,  produced  for  a  while  the 
most  terrible  confusion.  Then  Ariamenes,  the  admiral  com- 
manding the  left  wing,  seeing  that  it  was  necessary  to  en- 
courage his  people  by  some  brilliant  exploit,  bore  down  at 
full  speed  upon  the  flagship  of  Themistocles,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  carrying  it  by  boarding.  A  desperate  hand  to  hand 
conflict  ensued,  which  threatened  at  one  time  to  end  disas- 
trously to  the  Greeks  ;  but  many  Athenian  captains  hurrying 
up  to  the  aid  of  their  leader,  the  magnificent  galley  of  Aria- 
menes was  sunk  by  repeated  shocks  from  the  brazen  beaks  of 
their  vessels,  and  the  brave  admiral  himself  slain  and  his 
body  thrown  overboard  from  the  prow  of  the  trireme  he  had 
hoped  to  capture.  At  this  moment,  too,  a  rumor  ran  along 
the  lines  that  the  great  Ariabignes,  whom  all  the  Asiatics 
revered  for  his  father  Darius's  sake,  had  fallen,  pierced  with 
a  javelin ;  whereupon  the  barbarians  groaned  aloud,  while  the 
Greeks  sent  up  a  shout  of  triumph  and  derision.  Still  the 
battle  was  maintained  by  the  Persians  with  great  fury  until 
the  Athenians,  having  passed  through  the  Phoenician  line,  and 
pulling  strong  with  their  starboard  and  backing  their  port 
oars,  turned  short  round  and  fell  upon  their  left  flank  and 
rear,  Avhen  a  universal  panic  seized  them  and  they  fled  in 
disorder,  with  the  exception  of  the  Dorians,  who,  led  by  their 
glorious  queen,  fought  with  great  valor,  in  the  vain  hope  of 
restoring  order  where  all  was  irrecoverably  lost.  At  length, 
however,  observing  that  the  fugitives  were  not  to  be  rallied, 
and  that  the  whole  sea  was  strewn  with  "  wrecks"  and  the 
'* floating  corpses"  of  her  friends,  Artemisia  reluctantly  gave 
the  signal  to  retreat.  As  she  was  making  off  in  her  own  gal- 
ley, she  found  herself  closely  pursued  by  Ameinas,  whereupon 
she  ran  at  full  speed  into  a  Lj^cian  trireme,  whose  commander 
had  behaved  like  a  coward  in  the  action,  and  sunk  it  instantly. 
When  the  Greek  saw  this  he  concluded  that  the  galley  he 
had  been  followinor  was  either  one  of  the  Confederate  fleet  or 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  35 

one  that  had  deserted  to  it,  and  gave  up  the  pursuit ;  and 
before  he  discovered  his  mistake  the  heroic  woman  had 
escaped.  Thus  Ameinas,  the  Pallenian,  lost  the  reward  of 
ten  thousand  drachmas  offered  by  the  Athenians  for  her  cap- 
ture ;  but  he  afterward  obtained,  by  the  unbiassed  suffrages 
of  his  countrymen,  what  was  no  doubt  infinitely  more  prized 
by  him,  the  honor  of  being  mentioned  as  one  of  "  the  three 
valiants  "  who  had  most  distinguished  themselves  in  the  bat- 
tle ;  his  companions  in  glory  being  Polycritus  of  JEgina,  and 
Eumenes,  the  Anagyrasian. 

The  victory  being  complete,  Aristides  put  himself  at  the 
head  of  a  large  body  of  Athenians,  and  landing  on  Psyttaleia, 
slew  the  Persians  there,  under  the  very  eye  of  their  sovereign, 
who,  with  all  his  immense  army  around  him,  could  not  render 
them  the  slightest  assistance.  Then  the  mighty  lord  of  so 
many  nations  and  such  countless  myriads  of  slaves  rose  from 
his  seat,  and  rending  his  royal  robes,  burst  into  a  flood  of 
tears.  Well  might  some  one  of  his  followers  have  applied  to 
him  at  this  instant,  the  bitter  speech  addressed  two  thousand 
years  later,  by  the  fiery  mother  of  Boabdil  to  her  weeping  son, 
"  You  do  well  to  cry  like  a  woman  for  what  you  could  not 
defend  like  a  man."  Thus  ended  the  great  battle  of  Salarais, 
which  decided  the  fate  of  Greece. 

Of  the  many  accounts  of  it  written  by  contemporary  his- 
torians, that  of  the  poet  ^schylus,  in  his  ''  Tragedy  of  the  Per- 
sians," is  doubtless  the  best.  As  the  poet  bore  a  part,  too,  in 
the  action  he  so  vividly  describes,  it  seems  but  meet  that  he 
should  be  heard  in  relation  to  it.  I  therefore,  subjoin  the 
following  extracts  from  his  work,^  which  will  serve  to  fill  up 
any  details  I  may  have  omitted.  They  occur  in  that  part  of 
the  tragedy  where  a  Persian  messenger  is  supposed  to  be  giv- 
ing to  Atossa,  the  mother  of  Xerxes,  an  account  of  this  dread 
disaster  to  the  Persian  arms.  Surrounded  by  the  elders  who 
formed  the  chief  Council  of  State  of  the  Empire,  and  who 
bore  the  honorable  title  of  ''The  Faithful,"  the  queen 
mother  listened  with  fear  and  trembling  to  the  messenger, 


36  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

whose  sad  tale  was  frequently  interrupted  by  cries  of  woe 
and  lamentation : 

Mess. — The  author  of  the  mischief,  O,  my  mistress, 
Was  some  foul  fiend  or  Power  on  evil  bent ; 
For  lo  !  a  Hellene  from  the  Athenian  host 
Came  to  thy  son,  to  Xerxes,  and  spake  thus, 
That  should  the  shadow  of  the  dark  night  come, 
The  Hellenes  would  not  wait  him,  but  would  leap 
Into  their  rowers'  benches,  here  and  there, 
And  save  their  lives  in  secret,  hasty  flight. 
And  he  forthwith,  this  hearing,  knowing  not 
The  Hellene's  guile,  nor  yet  the  god's  great  envy, 
Gives  this  command  to  all  his  admirals. 
Soon  as  the  son  should  cease  to  burn  the  earth 
With  his  bright  rays,  and  darkness  thick  invade 
The  firmament  of  Heaven,  to  set  their  ships 
In  three-fold  lines,  to  hinder  all  escape, 
And  guard  the  billowy  straits,  and  others  place 
In  circuit  round  about  the  isle  of  Aias: 
For  if  the  Hellenes  'scaped  an  evil  doom, 
And  found  a  way  of  secret,  hasty  flight, 
It  was  ordained  that  all  should  lose  their  heads. 
Such  things  he  spake  from  soul  o'er  wrought  with  pride, 
For  he  knew  not  what  fate  the  gods  would  send  ; 
And  they,  in  no  disorder,  but  obeying. 
Then  made  their  supper  ready,  and  each  sailor 
Fastened  his  oar  around  true-fitting  thole  ; 
And  when  the  sunlight  vanished,  and  the  night 
Had  come,  then  each  man,  master  of  an  oar, 
Went  to  his  ship,  and  all  men  bearing  arms, 
And  rank  encouraged  rank  in  vessel  long; 
And  so  they  sail,  as  'twas  appointed  each, 
And  all  night  long  the  captains  of  the  fleet 
Kept  their  men  working,  rowing  to  and  fro; 
Night  then  came  on,  and  the  Hellenic  host 
In  nowise  sought  to  take  to  secret  flight, 
And  when  day,  bright  to  look  upon  with  white  steeds, 
O'er  spread  the  earth,  then  rose  from  the  Hellenes 
Loud  chant  of  cry  of  battle,  and  forthwith 
Echo  gave  answer  from  each  island  rock, 
And  terror  then  on  all  the  Persians  fell. 
Of  fond  hopes  disappointed.     Not  in  flight 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  37 

The  Hellenes  then  their  solemn  paeans  sang; 
But  with  brave  spirit  hasting  on  to  battle, 


With  martial  sound  the  trumpet  fired  those  ranks: 

And  straight  with  sweep  of  oars  that  flew  through  foam, 

They  smote  the  loud  waves  at  the  boatswain's  call; 

And  swiftly  all  were  manifest  to  sight. 

Then  first  their  right  wing  moved  in  order  meet; 

Next  the  whole  line  its  forward  course  began, 

And  all  at  once  we  heard  a  mighty  shout, — 

"  O  sons  of  Hellenes,  forward,  free  your  country ; 

Free,  too,  your  wives,  your  children,  and  the  shrines 

Built  to  your  fathers'  Gods,  and  holy  tombs 

Your  ancestors  now  rest  in.     Now  the  fight 

Is  for  our  all."     And  on  our  side  indeed 

Arose,  in  answer,  din  of  Persian  speech, 

And  time  to  wait  was  over:  ship  on  ship 

Dashed  its  bronze-pointed  beak,  and  first  a  barque 

Of  Hellas  did  the  encounter  fierce  begin, 

And  from  Phoenician  vessel  crashes  off 

Her  carved  prow.     And  each  against  his  neighbor 

Steers  his  own  ship:  and  first  the  mighty  flood 

Of  Persian  host  held  out.     But  when  the  ships 

Were  crowded  in  the  straits,  nor  could  they  give 

Help  to  each  other,  they  with  mutual  shocks, 

With  beaks  of  bronze  went  crushing  each  the  other. 

Shivering  their  rowers'  benches.     And  the  ships 

Of  Hellas,  with  manoeuvring  not  unskilful. 

Charged  circling  round  them.     And  the  hulls  of  ships 

Floated  capsized,  nor  could  the  sea  be  seen. 

Filled,  as  it  was,  with  wrecks  and  carcasses; 

And  all  the  shores  and  rocks  were  full  of  corpses. 

And  every  ship  was  wildly  rowed  in  flight. 

All  that  composed  the  Persian  armament.. 

And  they,  as  men  spear  tunnies,  or  a  haul 

Of  other  fishes,  with  the  shafts  of  oars, 

Or  spars  of  wrecks  went  smiting,  cleaving  down; 

And  bitter  groans  and  wailings  overspread 

The  wide  sea-waves,  till  eye  of  swarthy  night 

Bade  it  all  cease:  and  for  the  mass  of  ills. 

Not,  though  my  tale  should  run  for  ten  full  days. 

Could  I  in  full  recount  them.     Be  assured 


38        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

That  never  yet  so  great  a  multitude 
Died  in  a  single  day  as  died  in  this. 

The  captains  of  the  vessels  that  were  left, 
With  a  fair  wind,  but  not  in  fair  array, 
Took  flight. 

Chorus.     And  now  the  land  of  Asia  mourneth  sore, 
Left  desolate  of  men, 
'Twas  Xerxes  led  them  forth,  woe  !  woe  ! 
'Twas  Xerxes  lost  them  ail,  woe!  woe! 
'Twas  Xerxes  who  with  evil  counsels  sped 

Their  course  in  sea-born  barks. 
Why  was  Dareios  erst  so  free  from  harm, 

First  bowman  of  the  state. 
The  leader  whom  the  men  of  Susa  loved ; 

While  those  who  fought  as  soldiers  or  at  sea. 

These  ships,  dark-hulled,  well-rowed, 
Their  own  ships  bore  them  on,  woe!  woe! 

Their  own  ships  lost  them  all,  woe !  woe ! 
Their  own  ships,  in  disastrous  onset  urged, 

And  by  Ionian  hands? 
The  King  himself,  we  learn,  but  hardly  'scapes 

Through  Thrake's  wide-spread  steppes. 
And  paths  o'er  which  the  tempests  wildly  sweep. 

And  they  who  perished  first,  ah,  me  ! 

Perforce  unburied  left,  alas ! 
Are  scattered  round  Kychreia's  shore,  woe!  woe! 
Lament,  mourn  sore,  and  raise  a  bitter  cry. 

Grievous,  the  sky  to  pierce,  woe !  woe ! 
And  let  thy  mourning  voice  uplift  its  strain 

Of  loud  and  full  lament. 

Torn  by  the  whirling  flood,  ah,  me! 

Their  carcasses  are  gnawed,  alas ! 
By  the  dumb  brood  of  the  pure  sea,  woe!  woe! 
And  each  house  mourneth  for  its  vanished  lord ; 

And  childless  sires,  woe !  woe ! 
Mourning  in  age  o'er  griefs  the  Gods  have  sent, 

Now  hear  their  utter  loss. 

Althongh  in  the  above  account  of  the  battle  of  Salamis, 
I  have  deemed  it  proper  to  confine  myself  strictly  to  received 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  39 

authorities,  yet  I  cannot  forbear  commenting  upon  the  im- 
probability of  many  of  their /ac^s  nor  refrain  from  giving  my 
own  idea  of  the  causes  which  led  to  the  utter  rout  of  the 
Persians,  in  this  great  engagement,  which  taking  into  con- 
sideration the  magnitude  of  the  interests  involved,  the  number 
of  the  combatants,  the  myriads  of  the  slain,  and  the  results 
which  ensued,  is  without  a  parallel  in  naval  history. 

It  seems  difficult  to  conceive,  in  the  first  place,  that  there 
could  have  been  so  great  a  disparity  in  force  between  the  con- 
tending fleets  as  is  represented.  That  of  the  Greeks,  as  we 
have  it  from  themselves,  may  safely  be  set  down  as  not  below 
the  number  estimated,  viz.,  three  hundred  and  eighty  triremes ; 
but  that  the  force  of  the  Persians  consisted  of  a  thousand 
of  these  war-galleys  seems  altogether  improbable ;  for,  after 
seven  years  of  preparation,  during  which  every  "seaport  along 
the  whole  winding  length  of  coast  from  Macedonia  to  Libya 
was  engaged  in  building  ships  and  impressing  seamen,"  only 
twelve  hundred  triremes  could  be  fitted  out  to  accompany 
the  invading  army — a  mighty  work  indeed,  when  we  consider 
the  length  of  time  it  takes  to  build  and  equip  a  single  vessel 
capable,  like  the  Persian  trireme,  of  carrying  two  hundred 
men,  but  one  which  sinks  into  utter  insignificance  in  com- 
parison with  the  Herculean  labor,  which  the  Greek  historians 
would  have  us  believe  was  afterward  imposed  upon  the 
Asiatics,  of  fitting  out,  during  the  six  months  that  elapsed 
between  the  sailing  of  the  fleet  from  the  Hellespont  and  its 
last  encounter  Avith  the  Greeks  off  Salamis,  six  hundred  tri- 
remes, the  -reinforcement  it  must  have  received  in  order  to 
make  its  total  force  in  that  battle  amount  to  one  thousand, 
for  it  lost  four  hundred  triremes,  in  the  great  north-east  gale 
off  Euboea,  and  two  hundred  shortly  afterward,  according  to 
Herodotus,  on  the  rocks  in  the  dangerous  bay  of  Ccela, 
"  thus,"  says  the  historian,  "  the  deity  interfered  to  reduce 
the  Persian  force  more  nearly  to  an  equality  with  the  Grecian.'''' 
Now  supposing  one  hundred  vessels — a  very  moderate  esti- 
mate— to  have  been  placed  hors  de  combat  in  the  three  en- 


40        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

counters  off  Artemisium,  and  the  Egyptian  squadron,  detached 
on  special  service,  to  have  been  reduced,  by  battle  and 
shipwreck,  to  one  hundred  triremes,  half  of  its  original  num- 
ber, we  have  remaining  of  the  fleet  that  sailed  from  the 
Hellespont — arguing  oi;  the  hypothesis  of  its  not  having 
received  an  accession  of  force  meanwhile — but  four  hundred 
triremes ;  so  that  to  make  its  effective  strength  in  the  battle 
of  Salamis  amount  to  one  thousand,  a  re-inforcement  of  six 
hundred,  as  I  have  stated  above,  must  have  previously  reached 
it.  A  story  that  will  be  discarded  at  once  by  every  reflecting 
seaman.  If  we  set  down  the  Persian  fleet,  then,  as  consisting, 
at  this  crisis,  of  seven  hundred  vessels,  instead  of  a  thousand, 
we  may  feel  well  assured  that  we  have  not  under-estimated 
its  number. 

Secondly,  there  seems  to  be  a  misapprehension,  on  the 
part  of  Herodotus  and  those  who  follow  him,  of  the  mo- 
tives which  induced  Themistocles  to  send  a  message  to  the 
Persian  King,  declaring  that  "  the  Greeks  were  about  to 
fly,"^''  for  since,  in  the  last  council  of  war  held  by  Eurybiades, 
the  Grecian  commanders  had  resolved  to  fight,  and  not  a 
particle  of  evidence  has  been  adduced  to  show  that  they 
afterward  wavered  in  their  determination,  the  Athenian 
leader  could  have  had  no  fears  on  this  score.  On  the  con- 
trary, it  appears  more  probable  that,  finding  Eurybiades 
fully  prepared  to  give  battle  on  the  morrow,  he  invented  the 
story  which  he  told  Sikinnos  to  repeat  to  Xerxes,  in  order  to 
induce  that  weak  monarch  to  withdraw  a  portion  of  his  force 
from  the  Grecian  front;  and  we  may  fancy  his  exultation,  as 
well  as  that  of  all  the  other  Grecian  admirals,  when  Aris- 
tides  arrived  with  the  news  that  the  squadron  sent  to  Nissea 
was  none  other  than  the  famous  Egyptian  one,  which,  shortly 
before,  had  distinguished  itself,  at  Artemisium,  "  by  the  cap- 
ture of  five  Athenian  galleys."  The  artifice  of  Themistocles 
produced  this  additional  effect,  that  it  caused  the  Persian 
captains,  as  we  have  seen,  to  keep  under  way  all  night ;  so 
that  when  day  came,  their  crews — no  matter  what  the  num- 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  41 

ber  of  the  ''  reliefs  " — must  have  been  quite  worn  out  with 
rowing  and  watching,  and  in  no  condition  to  meet  a  resolute 
enemy,  fully  informed  of  their  plans,  and  fighting  for  the 
liberty  they  prized  more  highly  than  life  itself.  A  due  con- 
sideration of  the  above  statements,  and  of  the  fact  mentioned 
by  Herodotus  that  "the  lonians  purposely  behaved  ill,"  taken 
in  connection  with  the  disaster  which  befell  the  Persians  early 
in  the  action  in  the  death  of  Ariabignes,  their  commander-in- 
chief,  will  sufficiently  explain  to  every  intelligent  mind,  I 
think,  the  cause  of  their  total  overthrow,  on  this  occasion, 
by  the  Greeks,  with  whom  they  had  previously  contended  on 
equal  terms  at  Artemisium. 

That  the  battle  was  a  terribly  severe  one  there  can  be  no 
doubt,  but  that  it  lasted — fought  under  oars,  as  it  was — 
"  from  daylight  to  dark  "  is  not  probable.  As  the  wind 
was  blowing  from  the  westward,  however,  it  is  quite  likely 
that  the  pursuit  of  the  vanquished  was  continued  under  sail 
until  darkness  concealed  them  from  the  victors'  view.  If  we 
may  credit  the  accounts  that  have  come  down  to  us,  the 
Grecian  fleet  was  admirably  handled  throughout,  while  in 
the  Persian,  owing  doubtless  to  the  causes  stated  above,  dis- 
order reigned  almost  from  the  first.  Xerxes  committed  a 
grave  error  in  fighting  at  all,  and  he  paid  the  penalty  of  his 
folly  in  the  immediate  loss  of  nearly  half  his  navy,  while  the 
indirect  consequence  of  his  defeat,  as  the  wise  Artemisia  had 
predicted,  was  the  death,  by  starvation  and  fatigue,  of  a 
quarter  of  a  million  of  men. 

Thus  does  the  Almighty,  not  unfrequently,  visit  the  sins 
of  nations  upon  their  heads,  by  appointing  a  fool  or  a  mad- 
man to  preside  over  their  councils. 

Of  the  Grecian  admirals,  Themistocles  stands  pre-em- 
inent, while  Eurybiades  seems  to  have  behaved  as  comported 
with  the  dignity  of  his  high  position.  Sparta  acted  not  un- 
wisely, then,  in  awarding  to  the  former  the  prize  of  wisdom 
and  to  the  latter  that  of  valor.  As  nothing  is  heard  of  Mnesi- 
philus  after  the  battle,  it  is  probable  he  perished  in  it. 


42  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Among  those  who  fought  on  the  Persian  side,  Artemisia 
alone  is  worthy  of  particular  mention.  As  discreet  as  Themis- 
tocles,  and  not  inferior  in  courage  to  the  bravest  of  the 
Spartans,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  Persian  despot,  as  he  be- 
held her  marvellous  acts  of  heroism,  leaped  from  his  throne 
with  the  exclamation :  "  The  men  behave  like  women  and  the 
women  like  men  ! "  If  it  be  true  that  she  afterward  imitated 
Sappho  and  took  the  lover's  leap  from  the  Leucadian  rock,  it 
only  proves  that,  like  the  poetess,  her  head  was  sounder  than 
her  heart.  Her  wisdom  in  council  and  her  constancy  in  bat- 
tle have,  however,  rarely  been  surpassed,  and  we  may  there- 
fore rest  assured  with  the  enthusiastic  Greek  that  "  no  braver 
spirit  ever  rushed  from  the  embrace  of  men  to  that  of  the 
immortal  gods  "  than  Artemisia,  the  fair  heroine  of  the  battle 
of  Sal  amis. 

The  naval  victory  of  the  allies,  so  far  from  putting  a  stop 
to  the  petty  jealousies  which  had  for  some  time  existed  among 
them,  gave  rise  to  bitter  and  endless  controversies,  each  state 
magnifying  the  exploits  of  its  own  citizens  and  deprecating 
those  of  others.  The  Athenians,  in  particular,  were  very  for- 
ward in  appropriating  to  themselves  the  whole  credit  for 
defeating  the  Persians,  and,  among  other  falsehoods,  did  not 
scruple  to  affirm  that  the  Corinthians  ran  at  the  very  begin- 
ning of  the  engagement.  This  the  Corinthians  indignantly 
denied,  declaring  that  they  had  been  among  the  foremost  in 
the  action,  and  "  the  rest  of  Greece  bore  testimony  in  their 
favor."  The  oracle  at  Delphi,  little  likely  to  be  at  variance 
with  public  opinion  on  this  matter,  unquestionably  gave  the 
palm  of  valor  to  the  jEginetans  ;  for  when  the  Confederates, 
after  dedicating  three  Phoenician  vessels  to  "  all  the  gods," 
sent  "  a  statue  twelve  cubits  in  height  holding  the  beak  of  a 
ship  in  its  hand  to  Delphi,  they  inquired  of  Apollo  whether 
enough  had  been  given.  "  All  have  given  enough,"  was  the 
response,  "  except  the  ^ginetans,  from  whom  a  particular 
offering  is  due  on  account  of  their  superior  prowess."  The 
^ginetans  accordingly  made  an  offering  of  three  golden  stars, 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  43 

on  a  brazen  mast,  "  which  was  placed,"  says  Herodotus,  "  in 
a  corner  near  the  bowl  which  Croesus  sent  to  Delphi  when  he 
sent  there  that  famous  statue  of  a  woman  in  gold,  three 
cubits  high,  which  the  Delphians  say  is  the  image  of  Croesus's 
baking  woman. 


PELOPONNESIAN  WAK.      EXPLOITS  OF  PHORMIO  AT  NAU- 

PAKTUS. 

After  Salamis,  the  operations  of  the  Persian  fleet  were  con- 
fined entirely  to  the  defensive,  while  the  Greeks,  in  general, 
and  more  especially  the  Athenians,  following  the  counsel  of 
Themistocles,  rapidly  added  to  the  number  of  their  fighting 
ships ;  3'et  no  sooner  did  they  feel  themselves  secure  against 
foreign  invasion  than  they  turned  their  arms  against  each 
other,  and,  .weakened  by  continual  battles,  both  by  sea  and 
land,  became  subject  in  the  end,  first  to  Macedon  and  after- 
ward to  Rome.  As  their  sea-fights  were,  for  the  most  part, 
however,  fought  as  at  Salamis,  in  line,  sometimes  with  a  re- 
serve and  sometimes  without,  I  shall  limit  myself  to  a  descrip- 
tion of  two  of  them  which  took  place  between  the  Athenians 
and  the  Corinthians,  off  Naupaktus,  in  the  third  year  of  the 
Peloponnesian  war,  and  the  year  before  Christ,  429,  wherein 
the  tactics  of  both  parties  were  novel,  and  where,  prior  to 
engaging,  strategy  was  resorted  to  by  the  contending  com- 
manders-in-chief, each  doing  his  utmost  to  out-wit  and  out- 
manoeuvre the  other. 

From  Naupaktus,  I  shall  transport  the  reader  to  Sicily, 
in  whose  great  sea-port,  through  the  defeat  of  Nikias,  Athens 
lost  her  supremacy  as  a  naval  power  over  the  other  Grecian 
States. 

Conformably  to  the  plan  of  campaign  agreed  upon  by 
the  States  of  Peloponnesus  in  league  against  Athens,  a  large 
army  was  assembled  at  the  city  of  Ambrakia  in  readiness  to 
march  into  the  interior  of  Akarnania,  while  the  combined 
naval  forces  of  the  allies  were  directed  to  concentrate  at 


44  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD, 

Leucas  in  Leucadia,  and  thence  make  a  descent  upon  tke 
coast  of  the  invaded  province,  and  get  possession  of  its  sea- 
board towns.  The  fleet  of  Corinth  tlierefore  proceeded 
down  the  Corinthian  Gulf  until  it  had  rounded  Point  Drepa- 
num,  when  it  kept  to  the  south-westward  and  steered  for 
Patrie,  intending  to  cross  thence  to  Etolia,  but  as  it  took  its 
departure  from  Drepanura,  Machaon,  the  Corinthian  admiral, 
was  surprised  to  find  that  an  Athenian  fleet  of  twenty-five 
triremes  was  keeping  along  the  opposite  shore,  on  a  line  par- 
allel to  his  own,  and  evidently  closely  watching  his  move- 
ments ;  yet  as  his  own  force  consisted  of  forty-seven  vessels 
he  never  for  a  moment  supposed  the  Athenian  commander 
would  have  the  audacity  to  attack  him;  and  so  when  he 
reached  Patrse  he  bore  away  north-west  for  Etolia,  expecthig 
to  see  the  enemy  stop,  as  he  drew  near  and  suffer  him  to  pass 
unmolested.  But  Phormio,  the  Athenian  admiral,  who  was 
the  foremost  sea-captain  of  his  day,  had  such  confidence  in 
the  superior  seamanship  and  training  of  his  men  that  he 
gladly  availed  himself  of  this  opportunity  of  bringing  on  an 
engagement ;  he  therefore  kept  his  course  with  the  design, 
apparently,  of  breaking  through  the  centre  of  the  Corinthian 
fleet  and  doubling  upon  its  rear ;  seeing  which  Machaon,  in 
great  haste,  put  about  and  stood  back  to  Achaia,  where  he 
anchored  at  nightfall  at  some  point  between  Patrse  and 
Rhium.  Toward  morning,  thinking  either  that  the  Athenians 
had  returned  to  Naupakfcus,  a  garrisoned  town  not  far  distant, 
where  they  had  been  for  some  time  stationed,  and  whence  they 
had  got  underway  the  previous  day  on  the  report  of  his  coming, 
or  that  if  they  were  still  near  at  hand,  he  might  in  the  darkness 
>elude  their  vigilance,  he  got  underway  and  again  steered  for 
Etolia ;  but  just  as  he  had  arrived  in  mid-channel  day  dawned, 
disclosing  the  Athenians  so  close  aboard  that  it  was  no  longer 
possible  to  avoid  an  encounter  with  them,  whereupon  he 
drew  up  his  fleet  in  the  form  of  a  circle,  and  in  this  order 
awaited  their  onset.  The  circle  was  composed  of  thirty  of 
the   largest   triremes,   placed    near   enough   to   each   other 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  45 

to  prevent  the  passage  of  a  vessel  between  them,  and  yet 
not  so  near  as  to  incur  the  hazard  of  fouling  their  oars. 
An  inner  circle  contained  the  twelve  weakest  vessels  of 
the  fleet,  and  between  the  inner  and  the  outer  circle  were  five 
very  large  and  fast  ships,  equi-distant  from  each  other,  whose 
province  it  was  to  succor  those  vessels  of  the  outer  circle 
which  should  be  first  assailed  by  the  enemy.  The  prows  of 
all  the  vessels  faced  outward. 

Phormio  bore  down  upon  the  circle  in  column  of  vessels, 
and,  keeping  it  on  his  port  hand,  rowed  at  full  speed  around 
and  around  it,  alwaj^s  making  a  show  of  attacking  it,  and  yet 
never  coming  to  actual  conflict.  In  this  way  it  became  grad- 
ually contracted,  for  each  Corinthian  commander,  as  an 
Athenian  brushed  by  him  backed  a  little,  to  avoid  collision, 
until  finally  the  outer  vessels  impinged  upon  the  inner,  and 
the  rowers  were  compelled  to  use  their  oars  to  fend  off  with. 
Then,  too,  the  East  wind,  as  Phormio  had  foreseen,  began  to 
blow  strongly  from  the  Gulf  of  Corinth,  and  raising  quite  a 
sea,  huddled  the  vessels  together  after  such  a  fashion  that  all 
order  was  lost  among  them,  so  that  the  vessels  of  the  outer 
line,  no  longer  controlled  by  either  helmsmen  or  rowers,  fell 
off  with  their  heads  towards  every  point  of  the  compass,  and 
exposed  their  broadsides  to  the  sharp  rams  of  the  Athenian 
triremes.  Then  Phormio  made  the  signal  to  attack  in  earn- 
est, and  the  Athenians,  putting  their  helms  to  starboard, 
went  crashing  through  the  Corinthians  in  all  directions,  sink- 
ing many  of  their  vessels  and  driving  the  others  to  a  shame- 
ful flight.  The  battle,  if  that  may  be  called  a  battle  where 
there  is  no  resistance,  lasted  but  a  few  minutes,  and  resulted 
in  the  complete  triumph  of  the  Athenians,  who  captured 
twelve  of  the  Corinthian  vessels,  and,  according  to  the  bar- 
barous usage  of  that  day,  put  their  crews  to  the  sword.  The 
conquerors  then  erected  a  trophy  on  the  promontory  of  Anti- 
rhium,  and  dedicated  one  of  their  prizes  to  Poseidon,  after 
which  they  returned  to  Naupaktus  whence  Phormio  dispatched 
a  galley  to  Athens  with  the  news  of  his  signal  victory.     The 


46        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

galley  entered  the  Piraeus  decked  with  flags,  her  rowers 
keeping  stroke  to  the  sound  of  martial  music,  and  the  officers 
and  seamen  standing  on  the  upper  deck,  with  chaplets  of 
flowers  upon  their  heads  and  chanting  a  hymn  to  Apollo,* 
Avhile  all  the  Athenian  people,  crowding  the  docks,  filled  the 
air  with  shouts  of  welcome  and  congratulation. 

The  good  judgment  and  tactical  knowledge  of  Phormio 
are  not  more  clearly  exhibited  in  the  operations  off  Rhium 
than  is  the  want  of  sound  sense  and  nautical  ability  in  the  Cor- 
inthian Admiral.  Machaon,  who  was  a  soldier  by  profession, 
had  no  doubt  often  seen  attacks  on  shore  warded  off  by  the 
circle  formation,  where  each  man,  kneeling  down  and  resting 
his  shield  on  the  earth,  lapped  it  over  that  of  his  comrade  on 
the  right,  so  that  the  whole  formed  an  almost  impenetrable 
rampart.  It  was  borrowed  from  the  ancient  Egyptians,  and 
we  shall  meet  with  it  again,  among  the  Scandinavians,  whose 
kings  and  chieftains  were  surrounded  by  their  "  shield-circle 
men."  But  nothing  could  be  more  faulty  than  such  a  de- 
fensive order  of  battle  in  a-  fleet,  which  can  never,  with  im- 
punity, imssively  await  an  attack.  It  might  seem,  from  a 
cursor}^  examination  of  the  subject,  that  the  Corinthian  ves- 
sels, before  their  arra}^  was  broken,  had  it  in  their  power  to 
sink  the  Athenian  vessels,  as  they  circled  round  them,  by 
ramming ;  but  when  we  bear  in  mind  that  the  Corinthians 
were  then  lying  motionless  on  the  water,  we  see  that  such 
was  not  the  case ;  for  had  a  Corinthian  ship,  with  this  intent, 
abandoned  the  line,  she  must  have  come  in  contact  with  an 
Athenian  befoie  she  had  well  got  headway,  thus  striking  her 
adversary  but  a  feeble  blow,  while  she  herself  would  have 
been  struck  full  and  fair  by  the  Athenian  next  astern,  and 
almost  certainly  have  been  cut  down  to  the  water's  edge.  It  has 
been  asserted,  however,  that  a  number  of  broadside  artillery 
ships,  ranged  in  column  of  vessels  and  steaming  in  a  circle, 
would  present  a  very  formidable  obstacle  to  a  superior  force 

*  On  chantait  un  pcen  (liymne)  avant  le  combat,  et  un  autre  apres  ;  le  premier  en 
I'honneur  du  dieu  Mars,  le  second  en  riionneur  d'Apollon.— DuSeln. 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  47 

of  similar  attacking  vessels ;  and  much  has  been  said  of  the 
"  terrible  circle  of  fire,"  which  from  such  an  array,  would 
meet  the  assailants;  but,  in  reality,  the  admiral  who  should 
thus  permit  himself  to  be  attacked,  would  be  in  the  posi- 
tion of  a  general  who  has  suffered  himself  to  be  completely 
invested  in  a  city  or  fortress,  without  hope  of  succor  from 
without.  The  fire  of  the  assailants  all  converging  toward 
a  central  point,  while  that  of  the  assailed  is  divero^ent  and  dis- 
tributed over  a  wide  area,  the  afPair  becomes  a  mere  question 
of  time,  and  victory  must  ultimately  belong  to  the  assail- 
ants. Thus,  it  is  evident  that,  under  all  circumstances  afloat^ 
the  circle  formation,  as  a  defensive  order,  in  itself  involves 
defeat. 

The  discomfiture  of  the  Corinthians  caused  great  indig- 
nation among  all  the  Peloponnesian  States,  and  especially  at 
Sparta,  where  it  was  attributed,  not  to  the  superior  tactics 
and  strategy  of  Phormio,  but  to  the  arrant  cowardice  of  his 
adversaries.  Another  fleet  was  therefore  at  once  fitted  out, 
whose  commander-in-chief,  Knemus,  as  also  its  divisional 
officers,  were,  by  the  unanimous  voice  of  the  allies,  selected 
from  Lacedsemon ;  and  as  each  State  furnished  its  quota 
of  vessels  or  men,  it  numbered,  when  ready  for  sea,  seventy- 
seven  triremes,  all  fully  manned  and  excellently  well 
equipped. 

The  rendezvous  of  this  imposing  force  was  at  Panormus, 
a  small  semi-circular  harbor  of  Achaia,  just  inside  of  the 
promontory  of  Rhium,  while  Phormio,  with  his  twenty  tri- 
remes, took  station  at  Molykreium,  on  the  opposite  shore. 

Thus  the  two  fleets  at  night  were  but  a  mile  and  a-half 
apart ;  and  each  morning,  they  got  underway — Phormio 
stretching  to  the  westward,  and  endeavoring  to  entice  his 
enemy  into  the  open  sea,  where  he  knew  that,  through  the 
superior  seamanship  of  his  men  and  the  greater  swiftness  of 
his  ships,  he  would  have  greatly  the  advantage  of  him,  while 
Knemus,  conscious  of  his  inferiority  in  these  respects,  used 
every  stratagem    and  art  he   could  devise,  to  bring  on   an 


48        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

engagement  in  the  Strait,  where  there  would  be  no  room  for 
mancBuvring  on  either  side.  Six  days  were  consumed  in 
this  manner,  but  on  the  seventh,  at  early  dawn,  the  Pelo- 
ponnesian  fleet  left  Panormus,  right  in  front,  and  steered  for 
Naupaktus.  Its  van,  consisting  of  the  twenty  fastest  vessels, 
was  commanded  by  Timokrates,  its  centre  by  Brasidas,  the 
rear  by  Lykophron. 

As  soon  as  this  movement  was  perceived  at  Molykreium, 
the  Messinian  soldiers,  belonging  to  the  garrison  of  Naupak- 
tus, but  now  encamped  abreast  of  the  Athenian  fleet,  in 
readiness  to  succor  it  in  case  of  need,  became  clamorous  to 
return  to  the  city,  "  within  whose  undefended  walls,"  they 
cried,  "  they  had  left  their  wives  and  children."  Phormio 
too,  saw  the  necessity  of  repairing  thither  with  the  fleet, 
since  he  felt  that  it  would  be  a  lasting  disgrace  to  the  Athen- 
ian navy,  to  let  a  city  in  alliance  with  Athens,  fall  into  the 
enemy's  hands  without  striking  a  blow  in  its  behalf.  He 
therefore  got  under  way  as  speedily  as  possible,  and  taking 
a  course  parallel  to  that  of  the  allies,  kept  close  in  shore,  hop- 
ing to  reach  Naupaktus  ahead  of  them,  although  they  had  at 
least  eight  hundred  yards  the  start,  and  the  goal  to  be 
reached  was  not  distant  more  than  six  English  miles. 

Along  the  adjacent  heights  the  Messinian  army  was  march- 
ing at  the  double-quick,  and  on  the  walls  and  towers  of  Nau- 
paktus were  to  be  seen  all  the  male  citizens  of  the  place,  fully 
armed  indeed,  but  few  in  number,  while  the  roofs  of  the 
houses  and  temples  were  crowded  with  women  anxiously 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  fathers,  brothers,  husbands  and  sons, 
and  as  anxiously  dreading  the  coming  of  the  foe. 

But  soon  the  general  interest  centred  upon  the  rival  fleets, 
whose  swiftly  moving  oars  made  the  Corinthian  waters  white 
with  foam  ;  for  they  were  now  close  together,  each  fleet  appar- 
ently only  intent  upon  outstripping  the  other,and  Naupaktus, 
with  its  trembling  watchers,  but  three  miles  away.  History 
presents  to  us  few  more  dramatic  spectacles  than  this. 

The  excellence  of  Phormio's  tiaining  and   discipline  was 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  49 

now  made  manifest,  in  the  steadiness  of  the  Athenian  vessels, 
their  uniform  speed,and  the  perfect  silence  maintained  by  their 
crews,  while  each  Peloponnesian  trireme,  yawing  to  and  fro 
in  unskilful  hands,  and  going  first  slow  then  fast,  by  fits 
and  starts,  was  a  perfect  pandemonium  of  noise  and  con- 
fusion ;  and  as  the  Athenians  had  so  gained  in  the  race,  that 
the  leader  of  their  "  columns  of  vessels  "  were  already  lap- 
ping the  centre  file  of  the  van  of  the  Peloponnesian  "  column 
of  fours,"  it  seemed  certain  that  they  must  ultimately  win. 
Suddenly,  however,  at  a  given  signal  from  Knemus,  the 
allies  came  by  the  left  flank  and  headed  towards  the  Athen- 
ians, four  deep.  Phormio,  who  was  leading  his  column, 
seeing  the  danger  of  being  hemmed  in  between  his  enemies 
and  the  land,  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  lungs,  and  had  the 
word  passed  from  ship  to  ship,  "  to  pull  at  full  speed  and 
endeavor  to  pass  their  right  flank."  The  Athenian  vessels 
now  fairly  flew  through  the  water,  and  eleven  of  them  went 
clear ;  but  Knemus,  throwing  his  whole  fleet  into  line  on  its 
leading  vessels,  by  a  right  oblique,  cut  off  the  others  and 
drove  them  ashore,  following  them  up  with  his  rear  and 
centre  divisions,  while  Timokrates  signalled  to  his  division, 
"by  the  right  flank,''  and  hurried  in  pursuit  of  Phormio. 
Being  embarked  on  board  a  Leukadian  trireme  of  exceeding 
swiftness,  the  Lacedemonian  admiral  shortly  got  far  ahead 
of  his  companions  and  close  upon  the  rear  vessel  of  the 
fugitives,  which  he  felt  certain  of  making  his  prize.  But 
the  captain  of  this  vessel  was  a  man  of  nerve,  clear  head, 
and  sound  judgment,  and  observing  that  the  course  steered 
by  Timokrates  would  take  him  close  to  starboard  of  a 
merchantman,  anchored  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbor  of  Nau- 
paktus  and  heading  seaward,  he  passed  himself  to  port  of 
her,  and  pulling  at  full  speed,  turned  short  round  her  stem, 
just  as  the  Leukadian  trireme  was  coming  on  a  line  with  it, 
so  that  he  struck  the  Leukadian  amidships,  injuring  her  so 
badly  that  she  sunk  in  less  than  twenty  minutes  after  the 
collision.      So  overAvhelmed  was  Timokrates  bv  this  unex- 


50        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

pected  reverse  of  fortune,  that,  lacking  the  moral  courage 
necessary  to  enable  him  to  bear  it  with  fortitude,  he  threw 
himself  upon  his  sword  and  instantly  expired.  The  officers 
and  men  of  the  disabled  galley,  now  left  without  a  leader, 
surrendered  without  making  the  slightest  resistance,  while 
the  captains  of  the  vessels  following  her,  who  might  easily 
have  snatched  victory  from  the  bold  Athenian,  lost  their 
wits  and  absolutely  backed  their  oars.  For  a  moment  they 
remained  irresolute,  but  the  next  a  wild  shout  of  triumph, 
coming  from  land  and  sea,  decided  them,  and  they  turned 
and  fled,  hotly  pursued  by  Phormio,  while  the  Messenian 
hopUtes,  or  heavy  armed  infantry  soldiers  were  seen  rushing 
from  the  heights  to  the  assistance  of  their  stranded  vessels, 
but  one  of  which  had  j^et  fallen  into  the  enemy's  hands. 
Encouraged  by  their  presence,  the  crews  of  the  others,  who, 
though  fearfully  outnumbered,  were  still  making  a  desperate 
resistance,  fought  with  renewed  ardor;  and  as  the  hopUtes 
wading  into  the  water  and  climbing  on  board  took  their 
places  beside  them,  Knemus  realized  that  there  was  still  a 
hard  fight  before  him  ;  yet  he  never  doubted  of  final  success 
until  several  of  his  vessels,  hauling  out  of  the  action,  pulled 
at  full  speed  for  the  opposite  shore,  where  a  Peloponnesian 
army  was  stationed,  when,  looking  toward  Naupaktus,  he 
beheld  six  of  his  rear  division  in  the  hands  of  Phormio  and 
the  rest  flying  wildly  before  him.  Then  a  general  panic 
seized  his  whole  command,  and  victory  wq^  justly  claimed 
by  the  Athenians,  who,  with  the  loss  of  but  one  of  their 
little  fleet,  had  captured  and  sunk  seven  of  the  Peloponnes- 
ian triremes,  and  put  the  rest  of  them — a  force  still  number- 
ing seventy  vessels — to  a  shameful  flight. 

A  few  days  afterthis  battle,  Phormio's  force  was  strength- 
ened by  the  arrival  of  twenty  vessels  from  Athens,  where- 
upon, the  allies  dispersed  and  returned  to  their  several  states 
leaving  Phormio  in  undisputed  possession  of  the  Gulf  of 
Corinth. 

The  strategical  movement  of  Knemus  toward  Naupaktus 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  51 

was  well  conceived,  since  it  had  the  effect  of  forcing  Phormio 
into  a  disadvantageous  position,  and  his  manoeuvring  to  bring 
on  an  engagement  was  admirable  and  must  have  secured  him 
an  easy  victory  had  his  officers  and  men  been  worthy  of 
such  a  commander.  The  officer  to  whom  the  honor  of  gain- 
ing the  day  properly  belongs,  is  that  Athenian  Captain  whose 
name  has  unfortunately  not  come  down  to  us  who  sunk  the 
flagship  of  Timokrates,  but  this  does  not  detract  in  the 
least  from  the  merit  of  Phormio,  who  was  quick  to  profit  by 
the  enemy's  disaster,  and  who  had  so  completely  gained  the 
confidence  of  all  under  his  command,  that  they  were  ready 
to  encounter  any  odds  as  we  have  seen,  when  he  gave  the 
order  to  advance. 

From  the  fact  that,  at  Salamis,  the  smaller  naval  force 
preferred  ''  narrowness  of  space,"  while  off  Molykreium, 
it  sought  "  amplitude  of  sea-room,"  Mr.  Grote  concludes 
"  that  the  improved  practice  of  Athens  had  introduced  a  revo- 
lution in  Naval  warfare.''''  The  truth  is,  however,  that  at 
Salamis  the  confederate  fleet  was  not  so  superior  as  a  whole 
to  the  Persian  fleet,  in  which  it  must  be  remembered,  were 
incorporated  the  well  drilled  naval  forces  of  Egypt  and  Phoe- 
nicia, as  to  enable  Eury blades  to  calculate  with  certainty  upon 
out  manoeuvring  it,  he,  therefore,  wisely  guarded  against  being 
overpowered  by  numbers  by  fighting  in  the  strait.  At 
Naupakatus,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Athenian  fleet  was  so 
far  ahead  of  that  of  the  Peloponnesians  in  speed  and  hand- 
iness  and  so  much  better  officered  and  manned,  that  Phormio 
undoubtedly  expected  to  have  it  in  his  power,  with  "ampli- 
tude of  sea-room,"  to  concentrate  his  whole  force  upon  one 
of  his  adversary's  wings  or  centre  and,  whipping  that,  to  pro- 
duce such  consternation  throughout  his  whole  command  as 
to  ensure  its  utter  defeat.  That  his  judgment  was  correct  in 
this  matter  after  events  proved.  But  this  so  far  from  being 
a  revolution  in  ancient  maritime  warfare,  as  regarded  the 
selection  of  a  battle  ground,  was  a  confirmation  of  it.  And 
it  may  yet  be  laid  down  as  a  naval  maxim  that,  of  two  fleets 


52  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

equally  swift,  handy  and  well  manoeuvred,  the  safety  of 
the  weaker  numerically,  lies  in  seeking  such  a  confined  space 
as  shall  prevent  its  being  outflanked  by  the  other  ;  but  when 
the  large  fleet  is  composed  of  slow  unwieldy  vessels  badly 
handled,  while  the  smaller  consists  of  fast,  quick-turning  ships 
in  the  hands  of  seamen,  the  former  and  not  the  latter  must 
avoid  the  sailor's  home,  the  open  sea. 

At  the  beginning  of  thePeloponnesian  war,  the  Athenians 
were  accounted  the  most  expert  mariners  of  Greece,  but  little 
by  little,  under  the  teaching  of  such  men  as  Knemus,  the  al- 
lies became  accustomed  to  the  deep,  until  at  the  siege  of  Syra- 
cuse as  we  shall  see,  the  palm  of  superior  seamanship  was 
snatched  from  its  former  possessors  by  their  ancient  and  in- 
veterate enemies,  the  Corinthians. 

ATHENIANS  AND  SICILIANS  ;  FEARFUL  OVERTHROW  OF 
THE  FORMER  IN  THE  HARBOR  OF  SYRACUSE,  AND 
DECLINE  OF  ATHENS  AS  A  NAVAL  POWER. 

When  the  Athenian  fleet  dispatched  to  the  aid  of  the  little 
republic  of  ^gesta,  situated  near  the  western  end  of  Sicily  first 
hove  in  sight  of  that  island,  it  numbered  one  hundred  and 
thirty-four  triremes,  carrying  twenty -five  thousand  seamen 
and  light-armed  infantry,  and  was  accompanied  by  a  large 
number  of  transports  with  six  thousand  pikemen,  and  a  pro- 
portionate force  of  archers  and  slingers  on  board,  designed 
to  co-operate  with  it  not  only  in  the  reduction  of  Syracuse, 
the  immediate  enemy  of  the  ^gestans,  but  also,  according  to 
Thucydides,  in  the  conquest  of  the  whole  Island. 

As  the  vessels  drew  near  the  land,  flags  were  displayed 
and  trumpets  sounded,  and  the  glad  shouts  of  both  soldiers 
and  sailors,  accustomed  by  a  long  succession  of  victories,  to 
regard  defeat  as  impossible,  rent  the  air,  and  reaching  the 
shore,  smote  sadly  upon  the  ears  of  the  Sicilians,  who,  know- 
ing the  defenseless  state  of  their  country,  watched  the  ap- 
proach of  this  vast  armament  with  the  gloomiest  apprehen- 
sions.    Soon  however,  through  the  malign  influence  of  those 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  53 

worst  of  all  defects  in  a  commander-in-chief,  indecision  of 
character,  and  a  proneness  to  move  slowly  where  celerity 
alone  could  insure  success,  the  aspect  of  affairs  was  entirely 
reversed,  the  victors  became  the  vanquished,  and  ancient 
renown  was  lost  in  present  humiliation ;  and  the  proud  fleet 
which,  about  a  year  before  the  time  of  which  I  speak,  had  en- 
tered the  port  of  Syracuse,  with  great' pomp  and  ostentation, 
was  now  actually  blockaded  in  it  by  the  S3^racusans,  who  had 
moored  vessels  head  and  stern,  and  placed  other  obstruc- 
tions across  the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  to  prevent  its  escape. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs,  when  a  retreat  by  sea 
having  been  resolved  upon,  Nikias  intrusted  the  command 
of  the  Athenian  fleet  to  Demosthenes,  Menander  and  Euthy- 
demus,  and  prepared  to  fight  his  last  great  naval  battle  ;  and, 
taught  by  recent  reverses,  that  the  beaks  of  the  Syracusan 
triremes  were  more  powerful  than  those  of  his  own,  he 
directed  his  captains  to  avoid  ramming  as  much  as  possible, 
and  to  rely  for  success  entirely  upon  hoarding^  for  which 
purpose  he  stationed  a  large  body  of  soldiers  on  the  fore- 
castle and  poop  of  each  vessel,  together  with  a  few  picked 
seamen  provided  with  grappling  irons,  which  they  were  in- 
structed to  fasten  to  such  of  the  enemy's  galleys  as  might 
collide  with  them,  for  the  double  purpose  of  preventing 
them  from  backing  off  to  ram  a  second  time,  and  of  enabling 
the  Athenian  soldiers  to  gain  their  decks,  and,  by  the  weight  of 
superior  numbers  beat  down  all  opposition.  When  every- 
thing was  ready,  the  fleet,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
ten  triremes,  moved  from  the  dock-yard  which  the  Athenians 
had  constructed,  in  three  grand  divisions,  with  Demosthenes 
leading,  and  made  directly  for  the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  to- 
ward which  the  Syracusans,  fewer  in  number  by  thirty-four 
vessels,  were  shortly  afterward  observed  to  be  steering.  At 
the  first  shock,  the  obstructing  vessels  were  carried  by  the 
Athenians,  who  were  proceeding  to  cut  their  moorings  and 
clear  the  passage,  when  the  near  approach  of  their  enemies 
obliged   them  to  desist  from  their  enterprise  and  form  in 


54        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

order  of  battle.  This  they  did  as  speedily  as  possible,  and 
with  as  much  regularity  as  the  narrow  limits  of  the  harbor 
would  permit;  but  they  were  hardly  in  line  when  they  were 
attacked  on  both  wings  by  the  Syracusans  under  Sicanus 
and  Agatharcus,  who,  moving  down  close  to  the  shore  —  the 
one  on  the  right,  the  other  on  the  left  side  of  the  harbor,  which 
is  semi-circular  in  form  and  narrowest  at  its  mouth  —  were 
enabled  to  out-flank  them.  Their  flanks  being  turned  in  this 
manner  were  necessarily  driven  in  upon  their  centre  ;  which, 
at  this  critical  instant,  was  furiously  assailed  by  the  Corin- 
thians, the  faithful  allies  of  the  Syracusans,  who,  led  by 
Pythen,  one  of  their  own  countrymen,  had  pulled  down 
the  middle  of  the  harbor,  and  inspirited  by  the  remembrance 
of  former  successes,  rushed  with  full  speed  to  the  attack, 
with  loud  shouts  of  triumph,  as  if  the  victory  were  already 
theirs.  Great  confusion  now  ensued  among  the  Athenians  ; 
for  many  of  their  triremes  had  been  stove  and  were  founder- 
ing, while  those  that  remained  were  hemmed  in  by  their 
enemies ;  so  that  there  was  no  room  for  manoeuvring,  nor 
did  there  seem  to  be  any  way  of  extricating  them  from  their 
perilous  situation.  To  add  to  their  misery,  the  waters  in 
their  midst  were  filled  with  their  drowning  comrades,  pite- 
ously  calling  for  help,  while  their  countrymen  on  shore, 
beholding  their  sad  condition,  were  beating  their  breasts  and 
loudl}^  calling  out  one  to  another :  "  They  are  conquered  ! 
they  are  conquered  !  Alas  !  alas  I  for  Athens  !  "  Still  they 
behaved  in  a  manner  not  unworthy  of  their  former  reputation. 
When  the  Syracusans,  circling  round  them,  bore  down  upon 
them  for  the  purpose  of  ramming,  they  so  plied  them  with 
javelins,  stones  and  arrows  as  often  to  make  them  retire.  At 
other  times,  when  they  could  not  effect  this,  they  threw 
out  their  grappling  irons  upon  the  forecastles  of  the  ap- 
proaching vessels,  and  when  they  found  that  the  irons  would 
not  hold  (owing  to  the  fact  that  the  Syracusans,  in  anticipa- 
tion of  this  stratagem,  had  covered  their  forecastles  with 
bulls'  hides),  they,  nevertheless,  did  not  abandon  their  de- 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  55 

sign  of  boarding;  but,  watching  the  moment  of  contact, 
sprang  boldly  on  the  decks  of  the  assailants,  and  put  all 
who  opposed  them  to  the  sword.  In  this  manner  they  got 
possession  of  many  of  the  Syracusan  triremes ;  but  their  own 
loss,  meanwhile,  was  frightful;  and,  after  the  battle  had 
been  maintained  for  many  hours,  Demosthenes,  perceiving 
that  a  longer  continuance  of  it  would  lead  to  the  annihila- 
tion of  his  whole  fleet,  took  advantage  of  a  break  in  the 
enemy's  line,  to  make  the  signal  to  retreat.  This  was  im- 
mediately ansAvered  by  the  other  commanders,  both  of  whom 
saw  the  necessity  for  retiring,  and  the  retreat  began.  At 
first  it  was  conducted  in  good  order,  but  the  Syracusans 
pressing  upon  the  Athenian  rear,  soon  converted  it  into  a 
shameful  flight,  in  which  each  captain,  forgetful  of  the  pub- 
lic safety,  thought  only  of  his  own.  In- this  disorder  the 
Athenians  reached  their  dock-yard,  the  entrance  to  which 
was  securely  guarded  by  merchant  ships,  having  cranes  rig- 
ged on  them,  cariying  large  stones  called  dolphins,  which 
were  of  sufficient  weight  to  sink  any  vessel  they  might  be 
dropped  upon.  Here  the  pursuit  of  the  vanquished  neces- 
sarily ended ;  and,  content  with  their  victory,  the  Syracu- 
sans returned  to  their  city,  "  with  their  wrecks  and  dead," 
*'  while  the  Athenian  sea  forces,"  says  Thucydides,  "  as  many 
as  were  not  taken  afloat,  hastened  from  their  vessels  to  the 
camp,  where  the  army,  lamenting  and  groaning,  deplored 
the  event,  and  proceeded,  some  to  succor  the  ships,  others 
to  garrison  the  dock-yard ;  while  others,  and  those  the 
greater  part,  began  now  to  think  of  themselves,  and  how 
they  should  best  provide  for  their  own  preservation." 

That  night,  Demosthenes  proposed  that  they  should  man 
their  remaining  triremes,  sixty  in  all,  and  make  another  at- 
tempt to  force  their  way  out  of  the  harbor ,  alleging,  as  was 
true,  that  they  were  still  stronger  than  the  enemy  by  ten  ves- 
sels. Nikias  gave  his  consent  to  the  measure,  but  when  the 
sailors  were  ordered  to  embark,  they  flatly  refused,  loudly  de- 
claring that  their  numbers  had  become  so  reduced  by  sickness, 


66  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

battle  and  scant  diet,  that  there  were  neither  able  seamen  left 
to  take  the  helm,  nor  rowers  sufficient  for  the  benches.  The 
last  battle,  they  said,  had  been  a  soldiers'  rather  than  a  sailors' 
fight ;  and  such  battles  were  better  conducted  by  land  than 
by  sea.  They  then,  with  one  accord,  ran  to  the  dock-yard, 
carrying  torches  in  their  hands,  which  they  applied  to  it  in 
many  places.  It  was  soon  in  a  blaze  and  the  flames  rapidly 
extended  to  the  fleet,  the  greater  part  of  which  became  a 
sheet  of  fire,  while  such  of  its  vessels  as  escaped  the  confla- 
gration fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Syracusans ;  who,  amid 
the  tumult  occasioned  by  the  mutiny,  carried  them  off,  if 
not  unobserved,  at  all  events  without  opposition.  Thus  the 
whole  of  the  fleet  was  lost  to  the  Athenians,  and  Athens 
ceased  to  be  a  great  naval  power.  Two  days  after  this  com- 
menced that  melancholy  retreat  by  land,  in  which  love  of 
country  was  lost  in  love  of  life,  and  which  ended  in  the 
surrender  of  the  Athenian  army,  and  the  stoning  to  death  of 
Nikias  and  Demosthenes  by  the  Syracusans.  The  genius  of 
Socrates  was  right.  Not  without  cause  had  the  heads  fallen 
from  the  HermsB,  standing  at  the  doors  of  the  houses  in 
Athens  ! 

A  study  of  all  the  particulars  of  the  siege  of  Syracuse, 
so  minutely  given  by  Thucydides,  but  which  it  is  not  our 
province  here  to  recite ;  teaches  us  a  useful  lesson  of  what 
may  be  gained  by  determination  and  promptitude,  and  what 
lost  by  vacillation  and  delaj^  Had  the  Athenians  attacked 
Syracuse  on'first  making  Sicily,  it  must  have  fallen  almost 
without  resistance,  while  its  capture  would  have  been  fol- 
lowed by  that  of  the  whole  island,  and  have  led  eventually, 
it  seems  highly  probable  from  the  political  aspect  of  the  times, 
to  the  enthrallment  of  all  Greece  to  Athenian  rule.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  the  Syracusans,  justly  alarmed  by  the  Athen- 
ian armament,  had  tamely  given  themselves  up  as  lost,  and 
neglected  making  those  preparations  for  defence  which,  with 
the  inventions  of  Archimedes  at  a  later  date  for  their  protec- 
tion against  Marcellus,  are  still  the  admiration  of  mankind, 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  57 

they  could  not  afterward  have  profited  by  their  enemy's  mis- 
takes ;  in  despite  of  which  their  city  would  have  fallen,  and 
they  themselves  have  been  subjected  to  the  bitter  mortifica- 
tion of  knowing  that  it  fell,  not  so  much  through  the  valor 
of  the  Athenians,  as  through  their  own  cowardice  and  inac- 
tion. In  their  last  naval  combat,  following,  no  doubt,  the 
advice  of  the  Corinthians,  who  were  now  accounted  the  best 
seamen  of  Greece,  they  displayed  much  tactical  skill,  while 
the  Athenians  fell  into  a  trap  from  which  the  merest  tyro  in 
his  profession  should  have  saved  them  ;  for,  since  their  fleet 
greatly  outnumbered  that  of  the  Syracusans,  their  role  was 
so  to  extend  their  front  as  to  outflank  the  latter,  instead  of 
which  they  suffered  themselves  to  be  drawn  into  an  engage- 
ment in  the  very  narrowest  part  of  the  harbor,  where  their 
numbers  were  an  incumbrance  rather  than  an  advantage  to 
them ;  and  where  they  were  outflanked  themselves,  as  we  have 
seen.  Had  Demosthenes  simply  dispatched  a  squadron  to 
remove  the  obstructions,  the  Syracusans  must  either  have 
permitted  it  to  clear  them  away  unmolested  (in  which  case 
the  object  of  the  Athenians,  a  retreat  by  .sea,  would  have 
been  attained),  or  have  sallied  forth  from  their  city  to  attack 
it.  In  the  latter  event,  Demosthenes  could  have  drawn  out 
the  rest  of  his  fleet  in  line,  directly  across  the  harbor,  and 
followed  the  Syracusans,  who  must  then  have  faced  about 
to  receive  his  attack  in  ftont,  while  they  would  have  been 
exposed  to  that  of  the  detached  squadron  in  their  rear.  The 
result  ma}^  easily  be  imagined. 

Of  the  military  character  of  Nikias,  who  lived  like  a 
saint,  and  died  like  a  martyr,  it  is  difficult  to  make  an  analy- 
sis, but  he  seems  to  have  been  ever  of  a  wavering,  irresolute 
and  overcautious  temper,  and  to  this,  during  his  Sicilian  cam- 
paign, was  added  the  timidity  natural  to  an  infirm  old  age. 
He  is  said,  to  have  been  the  first  Commander-in-Chief  who 
made  written  reports  to  his  government  of  his  military  and 
naval  operations;  and  he  was  accustomed  to  indulge  in 
lengthy  dispatches,  filled  with  -complaints  pf  a  want  of  men 
5 


58        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

and  of  equipments  and  munitions  of  war,  and  giving  an  ex- 
aggerated picture  of  the  force  and  resources  of  the  enem3^ 
To  this  pernicious  habit,  may  doubtless  be  attributed,  in 
part,  his  want  of  success  at  Syracuse ;  for  it  may  be  laid  down 
as  a  military  and  naval  maxim  that  that  Comikander-in- Chief 
will  fall  short  in  deeds.,  who.,  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  relinquishes 
the  sword  for  the  pen.  A  consideration  of  what  Nikias  lost 
•for  his  country  in  Sicily,  and  of  the  evils  which  that  loss 
subsequently  entailed  upon  the  Athenians,  will  serve  to  show 
how  careful  a  people  should  he  in  the  selection  of  generals  to 
command  its  armies.,  and  of  admirals  to  conduct  its  fleets  ;  and 
especially  should  the  lesson  he  hrought  home  to  us.,  whose  exist- 
ence as  one  nation  has  more  than  once.,  within  my  own  recollec- 
tion., heen  imperilled  hy  the  hlind  suhserviency  of  the  government 
to  "  political  expediency  "  or  to  puhlic  clamor. 

The  deliberations  of  the  councils  of  war  on  both  sicjes,  as 
recorded  by  history,  give  us  much  valuable  information  with 
regard  to  the  tactics  of  the  contending  parties.  The  Athen- 
ians, it  seems,  were  in  the  habit  of  manoeuvring  to  outflank 
an  enemy,  and  wherever  they  saw  a  chance  of  piercing  his 
line,  to  seize  it  and  double  upon  him ;  or  breaking  the  unity 
of  his  fleet,  by  retreating  in  feigned  disorder,  thej  turned 
upon  its  detached  parts,  when  they  had  become  so  widelj^ 
separated  as  not  to  be  within  supporting  distance  of  each 
other,  and  crushed  them,  one  after  the  other,  by  superior  for- 
ces. To  accomplish  these  objects  great  speed  was  necessary, 
and  they  therefore  lengthened  the  prows  of  their  vessels  to 
such  a  degree  as  seriously  to  impair  their  strength,  so  that 
they  never  ventured  to  run  straight  at  an  enemy,  but  endeav- 
ored by  an  ohlique  blow  to  carry  away  his  oars  or  steering 
gear,  and  thus  put  him  at  their  mercy.  The  Corinthians,  on 
the  other  hand,  and  the  Syracusans,  copying  after  them,  struck 
full  and  fair  with  their  massive  beaks,  sometimes  cutting  a 
vessel  down  to  the  water's  edge,  sometimes  so  careening  her 
as  to  cause  her  to  founder  from  the  quantity  of  water  taken 
on  board,  at  first  through  the  row-ports  and  finally  over  the 


I 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  59 

rail,  on  the  side  opposite  to  that  struck.  The  excellence  of 
their  method  became  apparent,  so  soon  as  the  Athenians  from 
a  want  of  sea-room  were  unable  to  avoid  their  attacks  ;  and 
it  would  be  well  for  us  to  adopt  it,  since  in  our  "long  ships  " 
propelled  by  steam,  we  can  have  strength  and  speed  combined, 
or,  in  ojbher  words,  a  steam  ram^  the  shock  of  which  is  much 
more  t©  be  dreaded  than  that  of  the  heaviest  projectiles 
thrown  by  cannon  or  the  explosion  of  the  "  horrid  torpedo," 
about  which  all  the  world  is  just  now  exercised.  The  great 
importance  attached  to  ramming  by  the  ancients,  generally,  is 
shown  in  the  fact  that  of  "  forty-two  undoubted  specimens 
of  ancient  marine  architecture,  taken  indiscriminately  as 
they  could  be  collected,"  by  John  Charnock,  more  than  three 
fourths  are  representations  simply  of  the  prows  or  beaks  of 
ships. 

Of  the  many  marvellous  stories  about  the  disaster  to  the 
Athenians  in  Sicily,  not  the  least  singular  is  that  told  by 
Plutarch  of  the  manner  in  which  the  news  or  it  was  carried  to 
Athens.  "It  seems,"  says  he,  "that  a  stranger  who  landed 
in  the  Piraeus,  as  he  sat  to  be  shaved  in  a  barber  shop,  spoke 
of  it  as  an  event  already,  known  to  the  Athenians.  The  bar- 
ber no  sooner  heard  it,  than  he  ran  into  the  city  and  commu- 
nicated the  intelligence  to  the  authorities  in  open  court.  The 
magistrates,  in  alarm,  immediately  summoned  an  assembly 
and  introduced  the  informant,  who  not  being  able  to  produce 
the  stranger  was  considered  as  a  forger  of  false  news,  and 
fastened  to  the  wheel,  where  he  suffered  torture  for  some  time, 
till  at  length  some  credible  persons  arrived  from  Sicily,  who ' 
gave  a  distinct  account  both  of  the  march  and  the  defeat. 
With  so  much  difficulty  was  it  that  the  misfortunes  of  Nikias 
found  credit  among  his  countrymen,  though  he  had  often 
forewarned  them  that  they  would  certainly  happen." 


60  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 


ROMANS  AND  CARTHAGINIANS.  FIRST  NAVAL  VICTORY 
OF  THE  ROMANS,  OFF  MYLiE.  A  ROSTRATED  COLUMN 
OF  MARBLE  ERECTED  TO  DUILIUS  AT  ROME.  GREAT 
ENGAGEMENT  OFF  HERACL^A  OF  MINOS  AND  TOTAL 
DEFEAT  OF  THE  CARTHAGINIANS.  POOR  SEAMAN- 
SHIP OF  THE  ROMANS. 

While  the  Phoenicians  were  serving  as  mercenaries  in  the 
Persian  fleet,  a  colony,  planted  by  them  in  Africa,  was  rap- 
idly rising  in  the  scale  of  nations,  raising  vast  armies  and 
equipping  mighty  fleets ;  and  everywhere  adding  to  that  petty 
territory  which  according  to  a  most  agreeable  fiction  was 
originally  confined  within  the  narrow  limits  of  an  ox's  hide. 

To  this  aggressive  power,  which  seemed  to  be  aiming  at 
the  sovereignty  of  the  world,  was  opposed  a  city  in  mid  Italy, 
founded  by  illiterate  warriors  and  herdsmen,  weak  in  com- 
parison with  its  rival,  as  regarded  its  military  and  naval  re- 
sources, but  all-powerful  in  that  which  constitutes  the  real 
strength  of  a  State,  its  exalted  national  character.  This 
enabled  it  to  grasp  victory  without  elation,  and  with  forti- 
tude to  bear  defeat,  and  was  the  direct  offspring  of  that  pub- 
lic virtue  for  which  the  Romans,  under  the  republic,  were 
conspicuous,  above  all  other  people  of  their  time. 

Pyrrhus,  during  his  invasion  of  Italy,  is  said  to  have  re- 
marked to  his  ofi&cers,  "  that  the  boundless  ambition  and 
.clashing  interests  of  Rome  and  Carthage  must  soon  involve 
them  in  war,  and  to  have  designated  Sicily  as  their  first  bat- 
tle-ground." The  prediction  was  verified,  fifteen  years  after- 
ward, in  this  manner :  A  body  of  Campanian  mercenaries, 
who  had  been  serving  against  Carthage,  in  the  army  of 
Agathocles,  tyrant  of  Syracuse,  found  means  on  their  return 
from  Africa,  of  introducing  themselves,  as  friends,  into  Mes- 
sina. They  had  not  been  there  many  days,  however,  before 
jbhey  treacherously  tpok  possession  of  the  place,  and,  putting 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.      ,  61 

the  men  to  the  sword  and  seizing  upon  their  wives,  children 
and  effects  as  their  own,  commenced  leading  a  life  of  lascivious- 
ness  and  debauchery.  For  a  while,  supported  by  a  Roman 
legion,  which,  in  imitation  of  their  villanous  example,  had 
with  like  perfidy,  seized  upon  Rhegium,  a  free  city,  opposite 
Messina,  on  the  Italian  side  of  the  Strait,  they  not  only  re- 
tained possession  of  what  they  had  stolen,  but  made  frequent 
raids  upon  the  neighboring  towns,  from  which  they  exacted 
large  contributions  both  of  money  and  provisions.  But  when 
Rome  had  revenged  its  outraged  faith  by  taking  Rhegium  by 
storm,  and  putting  to  an  ignominious  death  all  that  remained 
of  its  infamous  garrison,  the  Campanians  or  Mamertines,  as 
they  now  arrogantly  styled  themselves,  began  to  tremble  for 
their  own  safety,  and,  being  hard  pressed  by  Hiero,  King  of 
Syracuse,  applied  to  both  Rome  and  Carthage  for  assistance. 
While  the  Roman  Senate,  reflecting  not  only  upon  the  base- 
ness, but  upon  the  inconsistency  of  affording  aid  to  an  army 
of  robbers  and  assassins,  whose  crimes  were  precisely  similar 
to  those  which  they  had  but  just  punished  so  rigidly  in  the 
persons  of  their  own  citizens,  refused  to  listen  to  their  appeal, 
the  Carthaginians,  deterred  by  no  such  scruples,  and  obeying 
only  the  voice  of  ambition,  promptly  dispatched  a  force  to  the 
scene  of  action,  which  was  placed  by  the  Mamertines  in 
charge  of  their  citadel ;  hearing  which  the  Roman  people,  in 
whom  the  sovereignty  of  the  republic  was  vested,  and  who 
exercised,  in  their  assemblies,  the  powers  of  legislation,  passed 
a  law  directing  Appius  Claudius,  one  of  the  consuls,  "to  pass 
over  to  Messina  and  expel  the  Carthaginians." 

Such  was  the  beginning  of  the  first  Punic  War,  during 
the  first  year  of  which  the  Romans,  although  almost  always 
successful  on  land,  found  themselves  exposed  to  continual 
insults  from  the  Carthaginian  fleet,  which  not  only  overawed 
all  the  seaports  of  Sicily,  but  made  frequent  descents  upon 
the^  Italian  shores.  This  induced  that  truly  great  people, 
who,  at  this  time,  to  use  the  strong  language  of  the  Greek 
historian,  "  were  not  in  possession  of  a  single  shallop  they 


62        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

could  call  their  own,"  ^^  to  undertake  the  building  and 
equipping  of  a  fleet  which  should  be  able  to  cope  with  that 
of  Carthage,  then  the  undisputed  mistress  of  the  seas.  For- 
tunately for  their  desigti,  a  Carthaginian  quinquereme,  in 
attempting  to  prevent  Appius  Claudius,  with  his  legion  from 
crossing  the  straits,  in  borrowed  boats,  had  grounded  upon  a 
shoal  near  Rhegium,  and  fallen  into  the  Consul's  hands. 
This  served  as  a  model  to  the  Romans,  who,  in  an  almost  in- 
credibly short  space  of  time,  put  afloat  one  hundred  quinque- 
remes,  and  twenty  triremes.  As  these  war-vessels,  however, 
were  exactly  like  those  of  the  Greeks  and  Persians  already 
described,  which  were  modelled,  as  we  have  said,  after  the 
galleys  of  the  Phoenicians,  the  remote  ancestors  of  the  Car- 
thaginians, no  further  description  of  them  is  necessary. 
While  they  were  building,  a  large  force  of  landsmen  was 
assembled  at  the  dock-yard,  and  put  under  the  care  of  such 
able  seamen  as  could  be  persuaded  to  enter  the  Roman  Navy 
from  the  neighboring  maritime  States.  These  instructed  the 
landsmen  in  the  exercise  of  the  oar,  by  placing  benches  in 
the  water  along  the  shore,  arranged  as  in  a  galley,  to  the  ex- 
tremities of  which  were  secured  upright  pieces  of  timber, 
with  thole  pins  attached,  to  which  the  oars  were  fastened 
with  grummets  or  beckets,  as  in  our  large  cutters  and  launches. 
Then  the  rowers,  seated  in  pairs  upon  the  benches,  "  accus- 
tomed themselves  to  perform  all  the  necessary  motions  of  the 
body  ;  to  fall  back  together  and  again  to  bend  forwards  ;  to 
contract  and  extend  their  arms ;  to  begin  or  leave  off  accord- 
ing to  the  signals." 

When  all  things  were  in  readiness,  the  Romans  put  to 
sea,  and  steered  to  the  southward  and  eastward,  along  the 
Italian  shore,  exercising  diligently  in  fleet  tactics,  as  they 
went,  and  finding  their  vessels  sluggish  in  their  movements, 
they  foresaw  that  they  would  easily  be  out-manoeuvred  by 
the  Carthaginians,  and  therefore  determined,  when  in  action, 
to  close  with  them  at  once,  and  place  their  whole  depend- 
ence in  boarding.     To  this  end,  they  erected  on  the  prow  of 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  63 

each  vessel  a  machine,  called  afterward  corvus^  most  proba- 
bly from  some  real  or  fancied  resemblance  of  its  grappling 
iron  to  the  claws  of  a  crow  or  raven.  This  was  invented  by 
a  mechanic  of  the  fleet,  and"  is  described  b}'-  Polybius  as  a 
round  pillar  of  wood,  of  about  twelve  feet  in  height,  and  of 
three  palms  breadth  in  diameter,  with  a  pulley  at  the  top. 
To  this  pillar  was  fitted  a  kind  of  stage,  eighteen  feet  in 
length  and  four  feet  broad,  which  was  made  ladder-wise,  of 
strong  timbers  laid  across,  and  cramped  together  with  iron, 
the  pillar  being  received  into  an  oblong  square,  which  was 
opened  for  that  purpose,  at  the  distance  of  six  feet  within 
the  end  of  the  stage.  On  either  side  of  the  stage  lengthways 
was  a  parapet,  which  reached  just  above  the  knee.  At  the 
farthest  end  of  this  stage,  or  ladder,  was  a  bar  of  iron,  whose 
shape  was  somewhat  like  a  pestle ;  but  it  was  sharpened  at 
the  bottom,  or  lower  point;  and  on  the  top  of  it  was  a  ring. 
The  whole  appearance  of  this  machine  very  much  resembled 
those  that  are  used  in  grinding  corn.  To  the  ring  just  men- 
tioned was  fixed  a  rope ;  by  which,  with  the  help  of  the 
pulley  that  was  at  the  top  of  the  pillar,  they  hoisted  up  the 
ladders,  and  as  the  vessels  of  the  enemy  came  near,  let  them 
fall  upon  them,  sometimes  on  their  prow,  and  sometimes  on 
their  sides  as  occasion  best  served.  As  the  ladder  fell,  it 
struck  into  the  decks  of  the  enemy,  and  held  them  fast.  In 
this  situation,  if  the  two  vessels  happened  to  lay  side  by  side, 
the  Romans  leaped  on  board  from  all  parts  of  their  ships  at 
once.  But  in  case  that  they  were  joined  only  by  the  prow, 
they  then  entered  two  and  two  along  the  ladder ;  the  two 
foremost  extending  their  bucklers  right  before  them,  to  ward 
off  the  strokes  that  were  aimed  against  them  in  front ;  while 
those  that  followed  rested  the  boss  of  their  bucklers  upon  the 
top  of  the  parapet  on  either  side,  and  thus  covered  both 
their  flanks." 

I  have  been  particular  in  giving  Polybius'  description  of 
the  corvus,  in  full,  because  to  this  is  mainly  to  be  ascribed, 
as  we  shall  see,  the  naval  victories  obtained  by  the  Romans 


64        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

over  a  people  much  more  at  home  upon  the  water  than  them- 
selves.^^ 

During  the  time  thus  occupied  in  making  preparation 
for  battle,  the  consul,  Cn.  Cornelius,  who  had  gone,  with 
seventeen  ships,  to  Messina,  to  provide  stores  and  provisions 
for  the  fleet,  was  seduced,  b}'  false  reports,  into  making  an 
attempt  upon  Lipara,  where  he  and  all  of  his  vessels  fell  into 
the  enemy's  hands.  This  disaster  to  their  arms,  however, 
was  more  than  counterbalanced  to  the  Romans,  not  long 
afterwards,  by  the  capture  of  the  greater  part  of  a  squadron 
of  fifty  ships,  with  which  Hannibal,  the  Carthaginian  com- 
mander-in-chief, had  presumed  to  attempt  ariose  reconnais- 
sance of  the  strength  and  disposition  of  their  armament. 

When  Duilius  heard  of  the  misfortune  that  had  befallen 
his  colleague,  he  lelt  the  army  in  Sicily  to  the  care  of  the 
Tribunes,  and  hastened  to  assume  command  of  the  fleet  ;  and 
as  he  was  anxious  to  signalize  his  consulship,  then  drawing 
to  a  close,  by  some  important  service  to  the  State,  which 
should  entitle  him  to  tlie  honors  of  a  triumph,  he  had  scarcely 
displayed  his  flag  afloat  when  lie  got  under  way,  and  shaped 
his  course  for  Mylse,  where  the  hostile  fleet,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Hannibal,  was  then  lying  at  anchor. 

When  the  Carthaginians  beheld  the  Romans  approaching, 
they  congratulated  themselves  upon  having  secured,  as  they 
supposed,  so  easy  a  prey,  and  pulling  out  of  the  harbor  in  a 
straggling  manner,  made  no  effort  whatever  to  secure  unity 
of  action  among  their  vessels.  "  What  need  have  we,  the 
favored  sons  of  Neptune,"  they  cried  contemptuously,  "  to 
form,  in  order  of  battle,  for  the  purpose  of  engaging  with 
these  landsmen.  Let  us  close  with  them  at  once,  before 
their  courage  evaporates,  and  they  turn  their  prows  towards 
Italy!"  Encouraging  each  other  in  this  manner,  they 
steered  directly  for  the  enemy,  their  fleet  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty  quinqueremes  being  soon  broken  into  detachments 
of  various  strength,  according  to  the  speed  of  the  vessels. 
•  Thus,  the  van,  composed  of  thirty  of  their  fastest  quinque- 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  i^h 

remes,  and  led  by  Hannibal,  in  an  immense  ship  of  "  seven 
banks  of  oars,"  which  is  said  to  have  originally  belonged  to 
Pyrrhus,  came  in  collision  with  the  Romans,  drawn  up  in  line 
to  receive  it,  while  the  rest  of  the  fleet  was  still  at  too  great  a 
distance  to  render  it  the  least  assistance.  Then  the  Carthagin- 
ians, engaged  in  this  unequal  contest,  seeing  themselves  at- 
tacked on  all  sides  by  the  Romans,  began  to  repent  of  their 
rashness,  and  turned  to  fly ;  but  flight  was  no  longer  possible ; 
for  the  corv%  descending  upon  their  decks,  held  them  fast  in 
their  iron  grasp,  while  the  Roman  soldiers  advancing  along 
the  ladders  or  gangways,  two  and  two,  in  the  manner  de- 
scribed by  Polybius,  put  all  who  opposed  them  to  the  sword. 
Thus,  the  whole  van-division  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Ro- 
mans, without  the  slightest  loss  on  their  part.  Hannibal, 
however,  who  had  made  his  escape,  with  great  difficulty,  in 
a  small  boat  rowed  by  four  seamen,  now  hastened  to  repair 
his  error  by  forming  the  remaining  vessels  of  his  fleet  into 
line,  in  which  oi*der  it  awaited  the  shock  of  the  victorious 
Romans  who  were  rapidly  approaching.  During  the  interval 
that  elapsed  between  this  time  and  the  moment  of  actual 
combat,  the  Carthaginian  commander  passed  from  vessel  to 
vessel,  exhorting  each  man  to  stand  firm  and  to  fight  as  if 
the  event  of  the  battle  depended  upon  himself  alone.  But 
nothing  could  restore  the  drooping  courage  of  those  who  had 
just  witnessed  the  destruction  of  their  comrades  by  so  novel 
a  mode  of  warfare,  and  they  were  scarcely  attacked  before 
they  broke  and  fled,  leaving  fifty  more  of  their  vessels  in  the 
enemy's  hands. 

So  ended  the  first  great  naval  engagement  between 
the  Romans  and  the  Carthaginians,  the  news  of  which  filled 
Rome  with  joy  and  hope,  and  Carthage  with  grief  and  des- 
pondency. Duilius  obtained  the  honors  he  coveted,  at  the 
hands  of  his  countrymen  ;  for  in  commemoration  of  his  glo- 
rious achievements,  a  marble  column,  "  adorned  Avith  the 
beaks  of  ships,  and  having  his  statue  on  top,"  was  erected  in 
the  Roman  Forum,  while  Hannibal,  who  suffered  himself  to 


66  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

be  surprised,  not  long  afterward,  by  the  enemy,  in  one  of 
the  harbors  of  Sardinia,  was  seized  by  his  own  seamen  and 
cracified. 

In  the  course  of  the  ensuing  year,  there  were  several  slight 
engagements  between  the  hostile  fleets,  in  which  victory  in- 
clined first  to  one  side  and  then  to  the  other;  but  no  decisive 
battle  was  fought.  At  length,  however,  the  Roman,  as  well 
as  the  Carthaginian  government,  became  convinced  that  ulti- 
mate success  could  only  be  achieved  by  that  nation  which 
should  obtain  the  mastery  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  each 
resolved  to  put  forth  its  utmost  strength,  to  effect  this  object. 
Thenceforth,  in  pursuance  of  this  resolution,  the  dock-yards 
and  work-shops  of  both  countries  resounded,  for  many  months, 
from  daylight  to  dusk  and  from  dusk  to  daylight,  with  the 
sound  of  the  hammer  and  saw,  and  the  hum  of  a  busy  multi- 
tude, of  which  some  were  engaged  in  building  ships  and  in 
making  masts  and  oars,  some  in  cutting  out  sails  and  awnings, 
and  in  fitting  and  overhauling  rigging ;  and  others  in  pro- 
viding water  and  provisions,  and  in  collecting  together,  and 
storing  away  under  sheds  provided  for  this  purpose,  an 
immense  quantity  of  naval  stores  of  every  description. 

Their  united  efforts  gave  to  the  Romans  three  hundred 
and  thirty,  and  to  the  Carthaginians  three  hundred  and  fifty 
quinqueremes,  with  which  these  bitter  rivals  took  the  sea 
early  in  the  summer  of  the  year  260  B.C. ;  the  former  sailing 
to  join  their  army  at  Ecnormus,  with  a  view  of  embarking  it 
and  shifting  the  scene  of  action  from  Sicily  to  Africa ;  the 
latter,  in  order  to  thwart  this  design,  which  their  able  leader 
Hamilcar  had  readily  divined,  making  all  haste  to  form  a  con- 
nection with  their  own  soldiers  at  Heraclsea  of  Minos,  and 
keeping  a  sharp  lookout  for  the  Roman  fleet,  from  the  high 
lands  of  Caena,  with  the  fixed  determination  of  forcing  it  to 
an  engagement  should  it  endeavor  to  pass  their  place  of  an- 
chorage. They  were  not  kept  long  in  suspense ;  for,  on  the 
second  day  after  their  arrival,  its  coming  was  announced  by 
their  sentinels ;  whereupon  Hamilcar  ordering  his  officers  and 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  6T 

men  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  weigh  anchor  at  a 
moment's  notice,  himself  repaired  to  a  neighboring  eminence, 
whence  he  beheld,  with  the  delight  of  a  soldier,  but  the  anx- 
iety of  a  general,  that  magnificent  military  array  of  the  Roman 
vessels,  which  has  never  been  surpassed,  if  indeed  equalled, 
by  any  combination  of  modern  times.  For  two  ships  of  six 
banks  of  oars,  with  the  standards  of  the  Consuls  Manlius  and 
Regulus  flying  from  their  flag-staffs,  and  placed  abreast  of 
each  other,  at  such  a  distance  from  each  other  as  should  afford 
room  simply  for  the  free  use  of  their  oars,  acted  as  leaders 
of  the  starboard  and  port  columns  of  the  fleet,  which  composed, 
respectively,  of  the  van.  and  centre  divisions,  with  the  first 
and  second  legions  on  board,  and  formed  into  echelon  of 
vessels,  constituted  what  in  military  parlance,  was  termed  a 
wedge.,  and  rested  upon  the  rear  division,  carrying  the  third 
legion,  as  a  base,  so  that  the  whole  made  an  isosceles  trian- 
gle, "  strong  and  proper  for  action  and  not  easily  to  be  bro- 
ken." Following  the  rear  division  and  towed  by  it,  were  the 
transports,  and  last  of  all  came  the  reserve,  with  the  colors 
of  the  Triarii^^  displayed,  which,  divided  into  two  equal 
squadrons,  served  as  a  guard  for  the  right  and  left  rear  flanks 
of  this  imposing  military  and  naval  armament. 

As  Hamilcar  scanned  the  disposition  of  the  enemy,  with 
an  experienced  eye,  he  perceived  that  the  movements^  of 
their  third  and  fourth  divisions  were  fettered  by  the  trans- 
ports, and  resolved  to  try  by  stratagem  to  separate  the  first 
and  second  from  them,  believing  it  would  then  be  an  easy 
matter  to  fall  upon  and  capture,  in  succession,  the  disjoined 
parts,  and  thus  whip  the  whole  fleet  in  detail.  With  this 
intent,  he  drew  out  his  force  in  four  divisions,  of  which  he 
disposed  three  in  line,  at  right  angles  to  the  course  the  Ro- 
mans were  steering,  and  heading  south-east,  and  the  fourth, 
in  the  order  which  was  called  the  forcejjs  ;  posting  this  last 
a  little  in  the  rear,  and  well  on  the  left  of  the  main  body. 
Thus  prepared,  he  passed  through  the  fleet  in  his  barge,  re- 
minding his  countrymen  of  their  descent  from  a  long  succes- 


68        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

sion  of  illustrious  seamen,  and  assuring  them  that  victory  was 
easy  over  their  inexperienced  foe,  if  they  would  but  do  their 
whole  dut}^  to  themselves,  their  country  and  their  general. 
"  Your  former  defeat,"  said  he,  ''  was  owing  not  to  the  nau- 
tical skill  of  the  Romans,  but  to  your  own  rash  valor,  which 
promjDted  you  to  rush  headlong  into  action  with  a  warlike 
people  never  to  be  despised.     Let  us  now  profit  by  our.  past 
misfortune,  and,  avoiding  the  prows  of  the  Roman  galleys, 
strike  them  amidships  or  on  the  quarter  ;  thus  shall  we  either 
sink  them  or  disable  their  oars,  besides  rendering  the  ma- 
chines,  on  which  they  principally  rely  for  safety,  wholly 
inoperative."     This  speech  was  received  with  loud  acclama- 
tions by  the  Carthaginians,  who,  with  the  fullest  confidence 
in  their  general,  demanded  to  be  led  at  once  against  the 
enemy ;    whereupon,  Hamilcar,  taking  his  station   in   their 
midst,  ordered  the  advance  to  be  sounded,  at  the  same  time 
signalling  to  all  the  vessels  of  the  centre  division,  which  he 
observed  would  be  the  first  to  engage,  to  retreat  in  apparent 
disorder,  when  they  came  within  fifty  yards  of  the   enemy. 
In  obedience  to  this  command,  the  Carthaginian  centre  no 
sooner  came  near  the  Romans,  than,  as  if  terrified  by  their 
appearance,  it  turned,  in   well-simulated  flight,  and  steered 
for  Heraclsea,  hotly  pursued  by  the  enemy's  starboard  and 
port  columns,  which,  as  Hamilcar  had  foreseen,  rapidly  drew 
away  from  the  rest  of  the  fleet.     When  they  were  so  far 
separated  from  it  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  its  coming 
to  their  support,  the  Carthaginians,  upon  a  signal  from  their 
flag-ship,  put  about  and  attacked  them  with  great  ardor  and 
resolution,  making  a  desperate  effort,  from  their  exterior 
lines,  to  force  the  two  sides  of  the  wedge  together;    but 
these,  facing  outward,  and  always  presenting  their  prows  to 
the  assailants,  remained  unbroken  and  immovable  ;  and  if,  by 
chance,  a  Carthaginian  vessel  succeeded  in  ramming  one  of 
their  number  abeam  or  on  the  quarter,  as  directed,  instantly 
her  next  on  the  right  or  the  left,  as  the  case  might  be,  came 
to  her  relief,  so  that  the  Carthaginians,  turn  which  way  they 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  69 

would,  found  the  dread  corvi  always  suspended  above  them. 
Thus  furiously  did  the  battle  rage  in  the  centre,  when  Hanno, 
who  commanded  tli^e  right  wing,  instead  of  falling  upon  the 
enemy's  port  column  in  flank,  and  thus  making  victory  sure  in 
that  quarter,  stretched  far  out  to  sea,  and  bore  down  upon  and 
engaged  the  Triarii.  The  Carthaginian  reserve,  too, 'making 
a  similar  mistake  with  regard  to  the  Roman  right,  now 
changed  from  its  first  order  into  line  and  advanced  with 
loud  shouts  upon  the  third  division,  incumbered,  as  we  have 
said,  with  the  transports.  Thus  there  were  three  na\^al  com- 
bats going  on  at  the  same  time,  and  all  maintained  with 
equal  valor  and  constancy ;  but  at  length  the  Triarii^  over- 
come by  the  double  duty  of  having  to  protect  the  transports, 
as  well  as  themselves,  from  the  attacks  of  the  enemy,  were 
about  to  yield,  when  they  observed  that  the  Carthaginian 
centre  was  in  full  retreat,  chased  by  their  van  division,  while 
their  second  division  was  hastening  to  their  own  assistance. 
This  inspired  them  with  new  courage,  and,  although  many 
of  their  quinqueremes  had  been  sunk  and  not  a  few  taken, 
they  continued  to  fight  with  great  gallantry  until  the  arrival 
of  their  friends  compelled  Hanno  to  make  the  signal  for  flight. 
In  the  meantime,  the  Roman  third  division,  embarrassed  by 
its  convoy,  had  been  gradually  forced  to  give  sea,  until  it 
found  itself  close  to  land ;  in  which  situation  it  resembled  a 
beleaguered  fortress;  for,  while  attacked  in  front  and  on 
both  flanks  by  the  Carthaginians,  a  more  terrible  enemy,  in 
the  shape  of  sharp-pointed,  surf-beaten  rocks  appeared  in  its 
rear ;  and  it  was  falling,  vessel  by  vessel,  into  the  Carthagin- 
ians' hands,  when  Manlius,  perceiving  its  critical  condition, 
gave  up  his  pursuit  of  the  fugitives,  and  went  to  its  support. 
His  presence  converted  defeat  into  victory,  and  thus  insured 
the  complete  triumph  of  the  Roman  arms. 

Then  the  whole  sea  was  covered  with  the  Carthaginians 
scattered  in  flight,  while  the  Romans,  towing  their  prizes 
stern  foremost,  as  was  their  custom  after  a  successful  action, 
entered  and  took  possession  of  the  harbor  of  Heraclsea. 


70        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Such  was  the  termination  of  this  sanguinary  engagement, 
in  which  thirty  of  the  Carthaginian,  and  twenty-four  of  the 
Roman  quinqueremes  were  sent  to  the  bottom  with  all  on 
board.  Not  a  single  Roman  vessel  was  ^carried  off  by  the 
enemy,  while  the  Carthaginians,  who,  by  all  the  rules  of  war, 
should  have  come  off  victorious,  had  sixty-four  vessels  taken 
with  their  crews.  The  lesson  it  teaches  us  is,  that  the  ablest 
strategist  can  effect  nothing,-  if  the  officers  next  to  him  in  rank, 
upon  whom  he  has  to  rely  for  the  execution  of  his  orders,  fail 
either  through  ignorance  or  arrogance,  or  a  spirit  of  insubord- 
ination, to  carry  out  his  plans.  Had  Han  no  and  the  com- 
mander of  the  Carthaginian  reserve  done  their  duty  faith- 
full}^  and  intelligently,  on  this  occasion,  the  Roman  van  and 
centre  must  have  been  doubled  up  and  defeated,  almost  in- 
stantly ;  after  which  it  would  have  been  an  easy  matter  to 
get  possession  of  the  third  and  fourth  divisions  with  the 
transports.  Thus  the  Carthaginians  would  have  gained  a 
decisive  victory,  the  effect  of  which  would  have  been  per- 
haps, to  deter  the  Romans  from  again  making  their  appear- 
ance in  force  upon  the  sea ;  and  then,  with  such  leaders  as 
Hamilcar,  Hasdrubal  and  Hannibal  to  shape  her  policy  and 
conduct  her  armaments,  Carthage,  instead  of  Rome,  might 
have  been  the  mistress  of  the  world.  Such  are  the  great  is- 
sues sometimes  impending  over  contending  armies  and  fleets  ! 

It  seems  singular  that  the  consuls  who  had  the  foresight 
and  ability  to  adopt  an  order  of  battle,  so  admirably  suited 
to  ward  off  the  attacks  of  the  Carthaginians,  obliged  from  the 
force  of  circumstances  to  assume  the  offensive,  should  have 
been  betrayed  into  the  grave  error  of  breaking  that  order,  in 
the  ardor  of  pursuit,  before  the  battle  had  really  begun.  This, 
however,  is  doubtless  to  be  attributed  to  the  impatience  of 
their  subordinates,  whose  impetuosity,  in  all  probability, 
could  not  be  restrained.  On  the  other  hand  it  would  be  dif- 
ficult to  explain,  on  any  plausible  supposition,  why  the  Car- 
thaginians,  who,   in  former  encounters,  had  seen  the  bad 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  71 

effect  produced  upon  their  men  by  the  corvi,,  had  neglected 
in  fitting  out  this  new  armament,  to  guard  against  these 
formidable  instruments  of  war,  which,  while  they  entirely 
neutralized  their  own  superior  nautical  skill,  enabled  the 
Roman  soldier  to  fight  on  the  decks  of  the  enemy,  with  as 
much  confidence  as  on  the  land.  These,  and  these  alone, 
prevented  the  two  columns  of  the  Avedge  from  being  forced 
together,  and  saved  the  Roman  van  and  centre. 

A  careful  study  of  this  great  sea-fight,  in  all  its  details, 
cannot  fail  to  prove  instructive  to  the  naval  officers  of  the 
present  day,  wlien  steamers  have  taken  the  place  of  the  ancient 
war  galleys,,  and,  with  proper  turning-power,  without  ivhich  a 
man-of-iva7\  whatever  her  speed,  armament,  or  armor,  is  un- 
worthy of  a  place  in  the  line  of  battle,  may  and  should  he  mor 
ncBuvred  on  precisely  similar  principles. 

As  soon  as  the  consuls  had  repaired  damages,  they  set 
sail  for  Africa,  where  they  arrived  in  safety,  and  disembarked 
the  army,  which  was  then  put  in  charge  of  Regulus,  while 
Manlius,  after  selecting  forty  of  the  best  ships  to  remain  be- 
hind, as  auxiliaries  to  the  legions,  returned  with  the  rest  of 
the  naval  force,  having  all  the  prisoners  on  board,  to  Rome. 

After  the  defeat  of  Regulus,  the  Roman  fleet,  being  again 
dispatched  to  Africa,  to  take  off  some  two  thousand  of  his 
soldiers,  who,  escaping  from  the  field  of  battle,  had  fortified 
themselves  in  Aspis,  a  small  town  on  the  sea-coast,  fell  in 
Avith  the  Carthaginian  armament,  inferior  to  it  in  strength, 
off  the  proipaontory  of  Hermsea,  and,  after  a  trifling  engage- 
ment, captured  one  hundred  and  fourteen  of  its  vessels. 
Then  taking  on  board  the  troops  at  Aspis,  its  leaders,  the 
consuls,  M.  Emilius  and  Servius  Fulvius,  determined  to  re- 
turn to  Italy  along  the  Southern  shore  of  Sicily,  against  the 
urgent  remonstrance  of  their  pilots,  who  wisely  argued 
"  that,  at  this  dangerous  season,  Avhen  the  constellation  of 
Orion  being  not  quite  passed,  the  Dog  Star  was  just  ready 
to  appear,  it  were  far  safer  to  go  North  about."  The  consuls, 
unfortunately  were  not  to  be  shaken  in  their  determination, 


72  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WOJtLD. 

and,  Sicily  reached,  a  course  was  shaped  from  Lylybeum  to 
the  promontony  of  Pachymus.  The  fleet  had  accomplished 
about  two  thirds  of  this  distance,  and  was  just  opposite  the 
Camarinian  coast,  where  there  are  no  ports  and  the  land  is 
high  and  rocky,  when,  with  the  going  down  of  the  sun,  the 
North  wind,  which  had  been  blowing  steadily  for  several 
days,  suddenly  died  away  ;  and,  as  .the  Romans  were  engaged 
in  furling  their  flapping  sails,  they  observed  that  they  were 
wet  and  heavy  with  the  falling  dew,  the  sure  precursor  of 
the  terrible  sirocco.  Then  the  pilots  urged  them  to  pull 
directly  to  the  Southward,  that  they  might  have  sea-room 
sufficient  to  prevent  their  drifting  ashore,  when  the  storm 
should  burst  upon  them ;  but  this,  with  the  dread  of  the  sea 
natural  to  men  unaccustomed  to  contend  with  it,  they  re- 
fused to  do,  not  comprehending  that  although  their  quinque- 
remes  were  illy  adapted  to  buffet  the  staves,  anything  was  bet- 
ter than  a  lee  shore,  with  no  harbor  of  refuge.  The  North 
wind  sprang  up  again,  after  a  little,  cheering  the  hearts  of  the 
inexperienced^  blew  in  fitful  gusts  for  an  hour  or  more,  then 
faded  nearly  away,  again  sprang  up,  and  finally,  died  out  as 
before.  Next  a  flash  of  lightning  in  the  Southern  sky  ;  then 
a  line  of  foam  upon  the  Southern  Sea — the  roaring  of 
Heaven's  artillery  in  the  air  above  and  of  the  breakers  on  the 
beach  below — and  the  tempest  was  upon  them  !  From  this 
time,  all  order  lost,  and  the  admonitions  of  the  pilots  un- 
heeded ;  the  Roman  fleet  was  corripletely  at  the  mercy  of  the 
hurricane,  and  the  veterans  who  had  borne  themselves  brave- 
ly in  many  a  hard  fought  battle  with  their  fellow-mjgn,  now, 
completely  demoralized  in  the  presence  of  this  new  danger, 
behaved  more  like  maniacs  than  reasoning  beings.  Some 
advised  one  thing,  some  another ;  but  nothing  sensible  wa» 
done ;  and,  when  the  gale  broke,  out  of  four  hundred  and 
sixty-four  quinqueremes,  three  hundred  and  eighty  had  been 
dashed  upon  the  rocks  and  lost.  The  whole  shore  was  cover- 
ed with  dead  bodies,  and  the  fragments  of  vessels ;  and  that 
which  Rome  had  been  years  in  acquiring,  at  the  cost  of  so 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  73 

much  blood,  labor  and  treasure  she  lost   in  a  few   hours, 
through  the  want  of  experienced  seamen. 

During  the  remainder  of  this  and  the  succeeding  Punic 
wars,  the  Romans  and  the  Carthaginians  met  in  several  well 
contested  naval  engagements,  in  which  the  former  were  usu- 
ally successful,  although  Adherbal  gained  a  glorious  victory 
for  his  country  off  Drepanum,  on  the  North-west  coast  of 
Sicily,  where  he  captured  ninety-four  of  the  Roman  vessels ; 
but  the  details  of  these  actions  are  too  meagre,  to  allow  us 
to  form  a  just  estimate  of  the  tactical  ability  displayed  in 
them  by  either  party.  What  the  Romans  gained  in  battle, 
however,  was  soon  snatched  from  them,  through  their  ignor- 
ance of  seamanship,  by  repeated  shipwrecks  on  the  coasts  of 
Sicily  and  Italy ;  so  that  at  the  end  of  the  first  Punic  war, 
which  lasted  twenty-four  j^ears,  they  had  lost  seven  hundred 
quinqueremes,  the  vanquished  Carthaginians  but  five  hun- 
dred. 


CIRCUMNAVIGATION  OF  AFRICA  BY  HANNO  THE 
CARTHAGINIAN. 

We  shall  now  give  an  account  of  the  cruise  of  the  latter, 
under  Hanno,  on  the  West  coast  of  Aftica,  after  which,  bid- 
ding them  adieu,  it  is  our  intention  to  return  to  the  Romans 
under  the  empire. 

Of  the  precise  time,  when  Hanno  set  out  on  his  famous 
voyage,  history  fails  to  make  mention,  and  this  circumstance, 
taken  conjointly  with  the  fabulous  accounts  contained  in  the 
periplus^  a  Greek  translation  of  the  story  of  the  cruise,  said 
to  have  been  written  by  Hanno  in  the  Punic  language,  has 
caused  a  few  authors,  to  attempt  to  throw  discredit  upon 
the  whole  matter,  but  the  weight  of  both  evidence  and  opin- 
ion is  overwhelmingly  against  their  hasty  conclusions ;  and 
nothing,  certainly,  would  seem  to  be  more  probable  than  that 
an  enterprising  maritime  people,  like  the  Carthaginians, 
should  make  some  effort  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
6 


74        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WOULD. 

form,  extent,  resources,  and  character  of  the  country  which 
they  inhabited.  As  to  the  discrepancy  between  the  number 
and  capacity  of  Hanno's  vessels  and  of  the  people  said  to  have 
been  carried  by  them  to  colonize  certain  parts  of  Africa,  this 
may  very  well  be  an  error  of  the  translator,  or  the  sixty 
penteconters  mentioned  may  have  simply  accompanied  the 
grand  fleet  "  capable  of  accommodating  thirty  thousand 
persons,  with  their  arms,  provisions  and  effects,"  for  the  pur- 
pose of  facilitating  as  Ramusio  suggests,  the  landing  of  its 
crews  and  colonists,  on  such  parts  of  the  coast  as  might  not 
be  safely  approached  by  the  larger  vessels. 

According  to  Hanno's  narrative,  he  got  underway  from 
Cadiz,  and  having  passed  the  pillars  of  Hercules,  steered  to 
the  southward  and  westward,  two  days,  when  he  anchored 
opposite  to  a  wide  spreading,  well  watered  plain,  bounded  on 
three  sides  by  high  hills,  where  he  built  a  city  called  Thymathe- 
erion.  Resuming  his  voyage,  he  planted  four  other  colonies, 
at  such  points  on  the  coast  as  he  deemed  favorable  for  com- 
mercial purposes,  and  hove  to,  and  sent  for  water  off  the 
river  Lixio,  where  Hercules,  lifting  the  giant  Antaeus  from 
his  mother  earth,  crushed  him  to  death  in  his  arms,  and  near 
which  he  found  the  golden  apples  of  Hera,  in  the  garden  of 
the  Hesperides.  Filling  away  again,  Hanno  kept  to  the 
southward,  and  after  many  long  months  had  elapsed,  reached 
the  native  settlement  of  Salen,  where,  although  the  land  was 
fertile  and  the  climate  fine,  owing  to  the  prevalence  of  fresh 
sea-breezes,  he  was  deterred  from  landing,  because  of  the 
wild  beasts  which  coming  thither  from  the  Libyan  deserts 
terrified  the  inhabitants  "  with  their  frightful  howling." 

From  here  the  Carthaginians  continued  onward  by  that 
dreadful  Cape,  which  the  sailors  for  many  ages  regarded 
with  superstitious  awe,  saying  that  he  who  with  mad  daring 
should  pass  its  southern  limit,  might  never  more  hope  to  put 
his  foot  on  land,  and  that  many  a  phantom  ship  of  the  old 
Phoenicians,  manned  by  a  phantom  crew,  was  there  con- 
demned to  cruise  till  the  end  of  time,  ever  engaged  in  the 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  75 

weary,  hopeless  task  of  endeavoring  to  get  to  the  Northward, 
and  ever  looking  upon  the  land  beyond  the  Cape  with  wist- 
ful eyes.  Sometimes  these  ghostly  mariners,  with  sails 
close  furled,  passed  days  and  weeks,  laboriously  tugging  at 
their  oars,  at  others,  under  sails  and  oars  combined,  they 
endeavored  to  make  their  toilsome  way ;  but  oftenest,  accord- 
ing to  the  legend,  they  were  descried  when  skies  were  dark 
and  the  ocean  lashed  into  fury  by  Southern  gales,  running 
madly  before  the  blast  with  all  their  canvas  spread,  as  if  the 
breeze  were  light  and  the  waves  at  rest.  Yet  ever,  as  they 
neared  the  Cape,  an  invisible  hand  bore  them  backward  to- 
wards the  South. 

Arrived  at  the  high  lands  of  Blanco,  Hanno  founded 
there  the  town  of  Cerne,  now  called  Arguin,  whence  he 
proceeded  across  the  gulf  of  this  name  to  the  River  Niger, 
where,  "  in  the  midst  of  crocodiles  and  sea  horses,  were  seen 
mermen  and  mermaids  playing  in  the  limpid  waters."  Next 
came  the  islands  of  the  Gorgons,  "  serpent  tressed  and  hat- 
ing men,  whom  mortal  wight  might  not  behold  and  live." 
And  this  danger  left  behind,  there  burst  upon  the  view  of 
the  admiring  Carthaginians,  a  high  mountain,  which  with 
one  voice  they  pronounced  "  The  chariot  of  the  Gods,"  for 
it  was  all  alight  with  flame  and  resounded  with  never  dying 
thunder.  "  The  top  of  this  mountain,"  says  Mariana,  "  from 
its  great  height  is  ordinarily  resplendent  with  lightning,  and 
the  inhabitants  on  its  slopes,  who,  owing  to  the  excessive 
heat,  keep  close  within  their  subterranean  dwellings  by  day, 
Avhen  twilight  appears,  sally  forth  with  burning  torches,  to 
seek  their  food ;  thus  at  night  the  whole  mounstain.  side  seems 
wrapped  in  a  garment  of  fire.  This  gave  rise-  to  the  mar- 
vellous story  told  by  Hanno  and  his  companions,  o-n  theii 
return  to  Carthage  (after  the  manner  of  most  travellers,  who 
speak  of  that  tvhich  they  alone  have  seen)  of  their  having  be- 
held, in  this  place,  rivers  of  fire  running  down  the  mountain 
side,  and  making  the  country  sterile  for  miles  around.  With 
all  deference,  however,  to  the  precise  old  friar,  it  seems 


76  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

highly  probable  that  this  was  some  volcano,  in  full  eruption 
as  the  Carthaginians  hurried  by.  The  next  discovery  was 
the  Island  of  Gorillas,  now  called  St.  Thomas,  situated  on 
the  equator,  where  the  mariners  landed  and  gave  chase  to  a 
number  of  "  naked  men  and  women  covered  Avith  hair," 
capturing  three  of  the  latter  after  a  long  run,  but  none  of 
the  former,  who  proved  to  be  too  vigorous  and  swift-footed 
to  be  overtaken,  and  finding  their  captives  "  sullen,  silent 
and  intractable,"  they  cut  their  throats  on  the  spot.  Then 
filling  their  carcases  with  straw,  they  stowed  them  securely 
away  in  the  holds  of  their  vessels,  until  their  arrival  at 
Carthage,  when  they  were  carried  ashore  with  great  pomp 
and  ceremony,  and  hung  up  in  the  temple  of  either  Juno  or 
Venus,  it  is  impossible  to  say  which,  as  on  this  important 
point  authorities  differ.  They  also  differ  in  relation  to  tlie 
terminus  of  Hanno's  cruise  ;  some  asserting  that  he  turned 
back,  through  a  scarcity  of  provisions,  from  Gorilla  Island, 
others,  that  he  kept  on  to  the  Arabian  Gulf,  whence  he  sent 
messengers  home  by  land.  From  these  conflicting  state- 
ments, many  of  the  learned  are  of  the  opinion  that  he  made 
two  voyages,  in  the  second  of  which  he  completed  his  circum- 
navigation of  Africa.  They  also  gravely  give  it  as  their 
opinion,  that  the  females  captured  were  not  women,  but 
monkeys  of  large  size,  of  which  they  say  there  are  various 
races  and  "  all  alike  distinguished  for  sagacity  and  cunning." 
On  one  point  all  are  agreed,  namely,  that  Hanno  was  absent 
from  Carthage  five  years,  and  that,  when  he  returned  to  it, 
in  addition  to  what  is  given  above,  he  delighted  the  people 
of  that  city  with  wondrous  accounts  of  the  dangers  he  had 
experienced  by  land  and  sea,  and  of  the  curious  birds,  beasts 
and  fishes  he  had  seen,  during  his  wanderings.  His  log-book 
was  deposited  in  the  temple  of  Saturn.  It  was  entitled 
"  An  account  of  the  voyage  of  Hanno,  Commander  of  the 
Carthaginians,  around  the  coasts  of  Libya,  beyond  the  Pillars 
of  Hercules. 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  77 


ANTONY  AND  OCTAVIUS.     BATTLE  OF  ACTIUM. 

We  left  the  Romans  a  free  people,  virtuous  and  patriotic. 
We  come  back  to  them,  after  the  lapse  of  two  centuries, 
when  Marcus  Brutus  and  Caius  Cassius  being  dead,  and  pub- 
lic virtue  fast  expiring,  an  arbitrary  government  was  in  pro- 
cess of  erection  upon  the  ruins  of  the  republic,  and  an  image 
of  Liberty,  usurping  the  place  formerly  occupied  by  that 
deity  herself,  mocked  the  betrayed  citizens  from  the  centre 
of  the  Roman  forum. 

The  triumvirate  had  been  dissolved ;  and  Octavius  and 
Antony,  at  the  head  of  vast  armies  and  fleets,  were  prepar- 
ing on  opposite  sides  of  the  Gulf  of  Ambracia,  to  submit  the  ^ 
quarrel  in  which  they  had  long  been  engaged,  to  the  arbit- 
rament of  the  sword.  In  this  emergency,  Antony's  old  offi- 
cers and  soldiers,  who  had  often  been  led  to  victory  by  their 
general,  naturally  indulged  the  hope  that,  drawing  out  his 
legions,  he  would  assume  the  offensive,  and,  by  his  superior 
strategy,  force  his  adversary  from  the  field  ;  but  in  this  they 
were  destined  to  be  disappointed :  for,  giving  up  his  judg- 
ment to  that  of  the  "  Strange  Woman  "  who  had  bewitched 
him,  and  disregarding  the  advice  of  his  tried  counsellors  and 
friends,  the  greatest  captain  of  the  age — now  that  Ccesar  and 
Pompey  were  no  more — had  consented  to  abandon  his  faithful 
army  and  place  his  whole  reliance  upon  his  fleet,  which,  al- 
though equal  to  that  of  Octavius  in  numbers,  was  much  in- 
ferior to  it  in  discipline  and  drill,  and  in  that  experience  of 
actual  combat — the  most  valuable  of  all — which  the  latter 
had  acquired  in  the  naval  war  just  concluded  between  the 
Imperator  and  Sextus  Pompeius. 

It  is  asserted,  indeed,  by  many  historians  that  Antony 
only  contemplated  fighting,  in  case  his  retreat  by  sea  should 
be  intercepted  by  Octavius,  and  that,  following  Cleopatra's 
advice  altogether,  he  intended  to  fall  back  into  Egypt,  with 


78        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

both  his  sea  and  land  forces,  and  there,  re-enforced  by  all 
the  power  of  Asia,  make  his  final  stand  against  his  formida- 
ble rival ;  and,  in  support  of  this  assertion,  they  adduce  the 
fact  that  he  directed  his  vessels  to  be  supplied  with  masts 
and  sails,  which  could  be  only  an  incumbrance  to  them  in 
action.  On  the  other  hand  we  may  quote  Antony's  own 
words :  they  ivill  he  useful  to  me  in  pursuit ;  and,  as  a  proof 
that  his  soldiers  believed  a  battle  was  decided  upon,  the  re- 
mark of  one  of  his  centurions,  who,  as  he  marched  by  him, 
at  the  head  of  his  company,  on  the  way  to  the  place  of  em- 
barkation, exclaimed,  pointing  with  his  sword  toward  the 
fleet :  "  Why  will  you.,  general.,  rest  your  hopes  on  those  villan- 
0U8  wooden  bottoms.  Let  the  Egyptians  and  Phcenicians  skir- 
mish at  sea ;  hut  give  us  the  land.,  where  we  have  learned  to 
conquer  or  to  die.'' 

After  all  his  preparations  were  made,  Antony  was  de- 
tained in  port  four  days  by  a  violent  storm  ;  but,  on  the 
morning  of  the  fifth  day,  the  weather  being  fair,  he  got  un- 
der way  and  proceeded  to  the  Straits  of  Actium,  where  he 
deployed  his  whole  force  in  line,  with  the  Egyptians  in  re- 
serve. On  the  right  was  Poplicola ;  on  the  left  Cselius ;  in 
the  centre  Marcus  Octavius  and  Marcus  Justeius.  In  his 
front,  at  the  distance  of  a  mile,  the  fleet  of  the  enemy  could 
be  plainly  seen,  drawn  up  in  parallel  order,  with  Larius  op- 
posed to  Cselius,  Agrippa  to  Poplicola,  Aruntius  to  Octa- 
vius. 

Then  Antony  calling  his  ofiicers  together  addressed  them, 
at  some  length,  upon  the  magnitude  of  the  interests  depend- 
ing upon  the  battle  in  which  they  were  about  to  engage. 
"  If  we  win,"  said  he,  "  you  will  find  that  your  leader  well 
understands  how  to  reward  those  who  have  assisted  him  to 
rise  to  power;  if  we  lose,  you  know  what  to  expect  from  the 
man  who  has  never  yet  pardoned  friend  or  foe  who  has  pre- 
sumed to  thwart  his  inclinations.  This  is  certainly  one  of  the 
cases  where  death  is  preferable  to  defeat.  The  incapacity 
and  cowardice  of  Octavius  you  have  all  had  the  opportunity 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  79 

of  testing,  and  since  his  armament  is  not  superior  to  ours, 
surely  you  have  every  reason  to  expect  to  wrest  victory  from 
;his  grasp,  when  led  by  him  to  whose  care  Julius  Caesar  in- 
trusted the  left  wing  of  his  army  at  the  great  battle  of  Phar- 
salia.  Be  assured,  then,  that  the  gods  will  be  propitious  to 
us  this  day,  and  that  your  general  will  share  with  you  its 
fatigues  and  dangers." 

While  Antony  was  harai  guing  his  officers  in  this  man- 
ner, Octavius  passing  through  his  fleet,  reminded  his  veterans 
that  they  were  not  fighting  against  his  colleague,  but  against 
the  Egyptian  sorceress^  her  eunuchs  and  waiting  women^  who  hav- 
ing submitted  that  once  famous  warrior  to  their  will,  now 
aspired  to  the  control  of  the  Roman  government.  As  to  An- 
tony^ he  had,  lost  his  wits^  as  they  tvould  see  in  the  engagement^ 
and  was  no  longer  responsible  for  his  actions.  War^  therefore^ 
had  been  declared  not  against  him^  but  against  his  mistress 
Cleopatra^  whose  he  was^  body  and  soul :  and  it  remained  for 
them  to  decide  whether  they  too  would  be  her  subjects,  or 
whether  they  would  bring  her  to  justice  in  the  name  of  the 
Roman  people,  whose  majesty  she  had  dared  to  trifle  with,  in 
the  person  of  one  of  their  chief  magistrates." 

At  the  conclusion  of  his  address,  Octavius  took  his  place 
in  the  rear  of  Larius  ;  Antony  was  already  in  position 
alongside  of  Poplicola.  About  noon  the  sea-breeze  sprang 
up,  and  Antony's  men  becoming  impatient,  the  left  wing  was 
set  in  motion,  whereupon  Octavius  finding  himself  embar- 
rassed through  a  want  of  room,  retired  seaward,  until  he 
was  distant  about  three  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Gulf  of  Ambracia,  when  he  turned  and  again  confronted 
his  adversary. 

Then  Antony's  whole  line  moved  forward,  while 
Agrippa  made  a  flank  movement  with  the  design  of  doubling 
upon  the  enemy  s  right,  but,  being  foiled  in  this,  by  a 
similar  manoeuvre  on  the  part  of  Poplicola,  the  action  may 
be  said  to  have  been  begun  by  the  two  fleets,  on  equal  terms  ; 
for  although  Antony's  vessels  were  larger  and  stronger  than 


80        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

those  of  Octavius,  these  advantages  were  counter-balanced 
by  the  superior  swiftness  and  lightness  of  the  latter,  which, 
manoeuvring  in  pairs  about  the  former,  assailed  the  defen- 
ders of  their  towers  with  javelins  and  other  missile  weapons, 
and  the  towers  themselves  with  fire,  while,  from  the 
turrets,  in  return,  darts  and  javelins  were  hurled  upon  the 
assailants,  and  huge  stones  rolled  down  upon  the  decks  of 
the  light  galleys  that  bore  them  to  the  assault.  On  the  one 
side  was  a  chain  of  forts,  on  the  other  an  army  of  soldiers, 
organized  into  companies  as  on  shore,  gallantly  endeavoring 
to  carry  the  forts  by  storm.  Roman  against  Roman^  victory 
inclined  to  neither  side.  Suddenly,  however,  a  fire-brand 
thrown  by  a  veteran  who  had  served  with  Csesar  in  Gaul,  set 
fire  to  one  of  the  towers,  and  in  an  instant  it  wa§  all  ablaze. 
Aruntius,  too,  observing  an  opening  in  the  centre  of  Antony's 
line,  dashed  through  it  with  his  lihurnians  and  attacked 
the  enemy  in  rear.  Then  Cleopatra,  who,  at  a  little 
distance  behind  her  friends,  was  gazing  with  throbbing 
heart  upon  the  sanguinary  strife  from  the  gilded  poop  of  her 
luxurious  galley,  became  seized  with  an  irresistible  terror, 
and  hoisting  her  purple  sails  to  the  breeze,  which  shortly 
before  had  veered  to  the  north,  she  steered  directly  through 
the  contending  fleets  towards  Alexandria,  followed  by  all  the 
Egyptian  vessels,  and — alas  that  a  great  soldier  should  have 
sunk  so  low ! — by  Antony  himself. 

»  Thus  Octavius  with  his  "  cool  head  and  unfeeling  heart," 
was  left  in  the  undisputed  possession  of  the  Roman  empire. 
'^\iQ '•'•  good  fortune'^  ^^  which  had  greeted  him  in  the  morning 
continued  with  him  throughout  the  day  ;  and  not  the  least  of  the 
favors  of  the  conservatrix  was  the  giving  him  Agrippa — a  much 
abler  commander  than  himself — to  manoeuvre  his  fleet  and  lead 
it  to  that  victory  which  had  bee7i  presaged. 

Of  Antony,  it  is  enough  to  say  that  with  all  his  great 
qualities,  his  baser  part  so  predominated  at  the  last^  that 
he  deserted  his  companions  in  arms  in  the  heat  of  battle^ 
and  resigned  the  domiriion  of  the  world  for  the  embraces  of  a 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  81 

woman.  While,  therefore,  we  cannot  withhold  our  admiration 
for  the  military  genius  of  one  who,  in  the  field,  was 
"  inferior  only  to  Caesar,"  we  look  with  contemft,  after  the 
battle  of  Actium,  both  upon  the  general  and  the  man.  The 
character  of  Cleopatra  is  not  so  despicable  as  his,  '-'  As 
a  woman,"  says  Merivale,  "  she  deserves  neither  love  nor 
admiration  ;  but  as  a  queen,  her  ambition  was  bold,  and  her 
bearing  magnanimous.  She  contended  gallantly  for  the 
throne  of  her  ancestors  with  the  weapons  which  nature 
had  given  her."  To  this  we  may  add  that  she  died  royally, 
according  to  the  public  sentiment  of  her  day,  lying  in  state 
upon  her  golden  bed,  and  attired  as  became  a  queen,  with 
her  dainty  fingers  covered  with  jewels  of  priceless  value,  and 
on  her  head  the  proud  diadem  of  the  Pharaohs  of  Egypt. 

What  would  have  been  the  result  of  the  battle  of  Actium 
had  Antony  but  remained  true  to  his  former  renown,  is 
a  question  more  easily  asked  than  answered,  but  from 
the  obstinacy  with  which  his  faithful  soldiers  and  sailors 
maintained  the  combat  after  his  base  desertion  of  them, 
it  seems  highly  probable  that,  had  he  remained,  victory 
would  have  been  his.  He  undoubtedly  committed  a  great 
error,  however,  at  the  outset,  in  suffering  himself  to  be 
decoyed,  with  his  unwieldy  vessels,  into  the  open  sea;^® 
and  Agrippa  fairly  earned  the  rosfcral  crown  that  was 
adjudged  to  him.  The  disposition  which  Anthou}^  made  of 
his  forces,  prior  to  engaging,  furnishes  an  additional  argu- 
ment against  those  who  say  his  flight  was  premeditated ;  for 
had  this  been  so,  nothing  would  have  been  easier  for  him 
than  to  have  adopted,  in  imitation  of  Manlius,  a  wedge-like 
formation  for  his  fleet,  and  then  putting  Cleopatra  in  the 
centre,  he  could  readily  have  beaten  off  his  assailants,  and 
retired  whithersoever  he  pleased. 

After  Actium,  Egypt  being  reduced  to  a  province  of  the 
empire,  the  Romans  had  no  enemy  to  contend  with  upon  the 
sea  ;  yet  the  transportation  of  armies,  and  the  protection  of 
commerce   from   the  depredations  of  pirates,   still  made  it 


82        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD, 

necessary  for  them  to  maintain  three  fleets,  one  of  which  was 
stationed  at  Ravenna,  one  at  Forum  Julii,  and  the  third 
at  Misenum.  From  this  period,  however,  fortunately  for 
themselves,  their  naval  annals  offer  nothing  worthy  of  notice. 

ARMS   AND  ENGINES   OF  WAR  OF   THE    ANCIENTS,    AND 
THEIR  MANNER  OF  USING  THEM. 

Of  the  weapons,  offensive  and  defensive,  used  by  the 
combatants  in  the  myriad  sea-fights  from  Salamis  to  Actium, 
it  may  be  briefly  remarked,  that  with  some  unimportant 
modifications,  they  were  such  as  had  been  in  use  ages  before 
in  the  Egyptian  navy.  Their  grappling-irons  were  shaped 
much  like  the  modern  kedge,  and  not  unfrequently  had 
a  gangway-attachment  to  them  for  the  purpose  of  boarding, 
like  the  corvus  described  by  Polybius.  The  name  ap-o-yy 
or  corvus^  seems,  indeed,  to  have  been  applied  indiscrimi- 
nately to  a  variety  of  machines,  some  of  which  were 
used  simply  for  holding  on  to  a  vessel  while  throwing 
troops  on  board,  others  for  dropping  heavy  weights  upon 
her  deck,  like  the  crane  or  doljjhin^  and  others  again  for 
raising  vessels  up  to  a  considerable  height,  and  then  dashing 
them  to  pieces  against  the  walls  or  towers  of  a  beleaguered 
city,  or  by  suddenly  letting  them  fall  stern  foremost  into  the 
water  below,  ensure  their  sinking  with  all  on  board.  The  first 
corvus  mentioned  in  history  was  invented  by  a  Rhodian  arch- 
itect named  Diognetus.  Their  catapults  and  balistoe — the 
former  throwing  javelins  and  darts,  the  latter  immense  stones 
— supplied  the  place  of  our  modei-n  artillery, while  their  archers 
and  slingers  may  be  said  to  have  represented  our  small-arm 
men.  "  Rigged  out  on  the  ends  of  poles  fixed  obliquely  to 
the  prows  of  their  galleys,  and  forereaching  their  beaks," 
the  Rhodian s  carried  large  kettles  filled  with  live  coals  and 
various  combustibles,  which,  by  means  of  a  chain  fastened  to 
the  bottom  of  each  kettle,  they  capsized  upon  the  decks 
of  their  enemies ;   and,  by  not  a  few  writers,  it  has  been 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  83 

confidently  asserted  that  they  possessed  a  knowledge  of 
certain  chemicals,  which,  thrown  together,  produced  a  flame, 
resembling  the  Greek  fire  invented  by  Callinicus,  the  Syrian, 
in  the  7th  century,  and,  like  it,  inextinguishable  by  water. 

Fire  ships  were  often  used  successfully  in  attacking  fleets 
at  anchor,  and  the  Tyrians  delayed  for  some  months  the  fall 
of  their  city  by  destroying  with  one  of  these  vessels,  an 
immense  mole  that  Alexander  had  constructed  in  their 
harbor.  The  use,  by  Hannibal  in  his  war  against  Pontus,  of 
''  earthen  pots  filled  with  snakes,"  seems  to  have  been  a 
solitary  instance  of  this  kind,  and  was,  undoubtedly,  a 
mere  stratagem  of  his  to  gain  victory  through  the  power 
of  the  imagination,  (a  ver}^  serviceable  ally  to  a  commander 
who  knows  how  to  make  the  best  use  of  it  in  battle), 
while  the. "pipes  of  metal  emitting  noise  and  inflamed 
smoke,"  said  to  have  been  used  in  the  "  early  ages  of  naval 
warfare,"  were  very  probably  the  inventions  of  the  writers  hy 
whom  they  have  been  reported  to  us. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  centuries  after  the  Christian  era, 
the  corvus,  the  catapult,  and  the  balista  were  seen  no  more 
afloat,  and  the  archers  and  slingers  had  given  way  to  cross- 
bow-men, while  the  Greek  fire  "  came  flying  through  the  air 
like  a  long-tailed  dragon,  with  the  report  of  thunder  and  the 
velocity  of  lightning."  Some  centuries  more  and  the  inven- 
tion of  gunpowder  revolutionized  everything.  With  a  ven- 
eration for  antiquity,  however,  which  would  excite  the 
contempt  of  a  Japanese,  Europe  and  America  still  continue 
to  "serve  out"  to  their  seamen  an  inferior  kind  of  Egyptian 
lance  called  a  "  boarding-pike." 

A  ROMAN  TRIUMPH. 

Of  the  mixed  military  and  naval  triumphs  celebrated 
at  old  Rome,  the  greatest  by  far  was  that  of  Pompey 
the  Great,  after  his  successful  termination  of  the  war 
against  the  pirates  and  the  Mithridatic  war,  wherein  several 


84  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

hundred  wagons — some  loaded  with  the  beaks  of  ships, 
and  others  carrying  paintings  and  sketches  of  naval  bat- 
tles— were  dragged  through  the  Forum  attended  by  thous- 
ands of  the  captives,  dressed  in  their  national  costumes,  and 
followed  by  many  legions  of  Roman  soldiers,  and  all  the  sea- 
men that  could  be  collected  from  the  fleet.  A  placard  borne 
along  with  the  procession,  according  to  custom,  informed  the 
lookers-on  that  this  triumph  was  celebrated  "  because  the 
maritime  coasts  had  been  cleared  of  pirates ;  the  dominion  of 
the  sea  restored  to  the  Roman  people,  and  the  kings  of  Asia 
and  Pontus  subdued. 

Out  of  the  spoils  obtained  in  these  wars  Pompey  erected 
a  temple  to  Minerva,  with  this  dedication,  "  Cneius  Pompey, 
Captain  General  and  Admiral — the  thirty  years'  war  being 
ended,  two  millions  one  hundred  and  eighty-three  thousand 
men  vanquished,  put  to  flight,  killed  or  taken  prisoners, 
eight  hundred  and  sixty-six  ships  sunk  or  taken,  fifteen  hund- 
red and  thirty-eight  fortified  towns  and  fortresses  forced  to 
capitulate,  and  all  the  countries  between  the  lake  Mseotis 
and  the  Red  Sea  subdued — in  gratitude  dedicates  this  temple 
to  Minerva." 


VENICE. 

The  question  as  to  which  of  the  European  nations  is  en- 
titled to  the  honor  of  having  revived  commerce  and  naviga- 
tion after  the  fall  of  Rome  will  never  perhaps  be  satisfactorily 
settled ;  but  the  Italians  seem  to  have  the  fairest  title  to  this 
distinction.  It  is  to  them,  then,  and  especially  to  Venice 
the  Beautiful,  whose  palaces  anchored  in  the  sea,  with  St. 
Mark  in  the  centre  for  their  flagship,  may  not  inaptly  be 
compared  to  a  fleet  of  galleys  fettered  together  and  moored 
head  and  stern,  that  the  attention  of  the  naval  chronicler 
must  now  be  directed. 

At  the  head  of  the  Adriatic  are  a  large  number  of  marshy 
islands,  separated  by  narrow  channels  or  lagoons,   which 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  85 

were  originally  the  abode  of  none  but  rude  fishermen,  who 
gained  a  scanty  subsistence  by  the  sale  of  fish  and  salt  to 
their  neighbors  of  Venetia,  a  province  on  the  mainland  of 
Ital}^,  rich  and  fertile,  and  numbering  within  its  limits  fifty 
cities,    of  which   Aquileia   and  Padua  were  the  most  con- 
spicuous.      Upon    the   invasion    of  Yenetia   by   Attila,   in 
the  middle  of  the  fifth  century,  many  of  its  principal  fam- 
ilies took  refuge  among  the  fishermen  of  the  Adriatic.     The 
Paduans  settled  in  Malamocco  and  Rial  to;  the  Aquileians 
in  Grado,  and  dispersed  throughout  the  other  islets,  were 
to  be  found  refugees  from  every  city  and  town  of  Venetia. 
These   water-fowls.,    as    Cassiodorus   fancifully   styles    them, 
soon    became    united   under   a   Republican    form    of    gov- 
ernment,   and,    in    imitation   of    ancient   Rome,    gave   the 
name  of  consuls  to  their  chief  magistrates ;  Alberigo  Fal- 
iero,  Zeno  Dandolo    and    Tomasso    Candiano,    formerly   of 
Padua  and  now  residing  in  the  Island  of  Rial  to,  being  the 
first  to  fill  this  high  office.    Thus  the  seat  of  government  was 
established  at  Rialto.     In  a  few  years  the  consuls  gave  way  ■ 
to  tribunes  elected  annually,  and  these  in  697  were  supplant- 
ed by  a  Doge,  whose  office  was  to  be  for  life.    From  this  period 
Venice  rose  rapidly  in  power  and  wealth,  until  in  the  early 
part  of  the  ninth  century,  it  had  become  so  strong  as  to  set 
at  defiance  the  son  of  the  Emperor  Charlemagne,  whom  it 
utterly  defeated  at  the  Canaglia  d'  Orfano,  in  the  fierce  bat- 
tle Avhich  was  called  in  after  times  the  battle  of  Albiola. 

The  army  of  Venice  was  composed  almost  entirely  of 
foreign  mercenaries,  the  command  of  which  was  entrusted,  not 
to  one  of  her  own  citizens,  lest  he  should  acquire  such  influence 
over  it  as  might  enable  him  to  subvert  the  government  should 
he  be  so  inclined,  but  to  some  soldier  of  fortune,  who  made 
a  trade  of  war,  and  whose  lust  was  not  for  empire,  but  for 
fame  and  gold.  The  Venetians  therefore  like  the  Cartha- 
ginians, although  they  engaged  in  many  wars  by  land,  never 
became  a  military  people,  and  the  importance  of  the  Venetian 
commonwealth   must  be  estimated,  not  by  the  number  of 


86        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

armies  it  could  put  into  the  field,  but  hy  its  naval  and  com- 
mercial resources.  "  Nothing  was  apprehended  from  the  navy^'' 
says  Robertson,  '•''tliat  could  prove  formidable  to  liberty.  The 
Senate  encouraged  the  nobles  to  trade,  and  to  serve  on  board 
the  fleet.  They  became  merchants  and  admirals.  They  in- 
creased the  wealth  of  their  country  by  their  industry.  They 
added  to  its  dominions  by  the  valor  with  which  they  con- 
ducted its  naval  armaments." 

In  the  year  829  the  body  of  St.  Mark,  carefully  and  ten- 
derly covered  with  herbs  and  pork,  was  conveyed  in  a  basket  at 
the  masthead  of  a  Venetian  galley  from  Alexandria  to  Rialto, 
where,  being  visited  by  pilgrims  from  every  quarter  of  the 
Christian  World,  it  contributed  greatly  to  the  national  pros- 
perity, in  gratitude  for  which  the  Venetians  transferred  the 
guardianship  of  the  Republic  from  St.  Theodore  to  the 
Evangelist,  whose  name  and  image  were  thenceforth  stamped 
upon  her  coins  and  her  colors;  and  the  battle  cry  of  l^iva  San 
Marco  !  was  thenceforth  as  formidable  throughout  the  Mediter- 
ranean and  Euxine  Seas,  as  became  some  centuries  later  the 
war-whoop  of  the  Spaniards  Santiago  y  derra  Espana!  on 
the  battle  fields  of  two  continents. 

VENETIANS  AND  SARACENS.    SEA-FIGHTS  OFF  CROTONA, 
IN  THE  GULF  OF  TARANTO. 

Thirteen  years  after  the  translation  of  St.  Mark  to  their 
city,  the  Venetians,  at  the  solicitation  of  the  Emperor  Theo- 
dosius,  co-operated  with  the  Greeks  in  a  naval  expedition 
against  the  Saracens,  whose  name  was  then  a  terror  to  every 
Christian  merchant  who  had  a  venture  upon  the  sea.  The 
hostile  fleets  met  at  Crotona,  on  the  Gulf  of  Taranto,  and 
although  the  Greeks  fled  at  the  first  onset  of  the  unbe- 
lievers, leaving  their  ally  to  contend  against  vastly  superior 
numbers,  the  battle  seems  to  have  been  maintained  by  the 
latter,  with  great  courage  and  constancy,  for  many  hours, 
and  until  indeed  their  loss  both  of  ships  and  men  was  so 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  87 

heavy  as  to  make  further  resistance  impossible.  But  few  of 
the  sixty  galleys  that  had  left  Venice  only  a  few  days  before 
in  triumph,  returned  to  tell  the  tale — alike  piteous  for  the 
vanquished  to  nari'ate  and  for  Christian  ears  to  hear — 
that  forced  to  fly,  yet  looking  back,  they  had  beheld  the  flag 
of  the  Prophet  waving  above  the  Lion  of  St.  Mark. 

This  is  the  first  sea-fight  of  the  republic,  and  although  but 
few  details  of  it  are  given  they  suffice  to  show  us  that 
the  vessels  of  the  three  powers  engaged  in  it  closely  re- 
sembled each  other  both  in  design  and  construction,  and,  in 
fact,  differed  but  little  from  the  galleys  that  had  been  in  use 
for  war  purposes,  on  the  Mediterranean  for  two  thousand 
years.  After  they  began  to  carry  cannon,  their  sides  were 
raised  and  made  to  "  tumble  home,"  so  that  their  upper  decks 
were  much  narrower  than  they  had  been  previously.  Jal 
(Archeologie  navale,  memoire  No.  5.)  gives  a  very  particular 
description  of  the  manner  of  building  a  galley  in  the  14th 
century,  taken  from  a  Venetian  manuscript,  which  the  reader 
who  desires  minute  information  on  this  subject  will  find  well 
worthy  of  his  perusal. 

The  remembrance  of  their  humiliation  in  the  Gulf  of 
Taranto,  rankled  in  the  breasts  of  the  Venetians  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century,  when  a  signal  victory  obtained  over  the 
enemy  in  the  very  spot  tliat  had  been  the  scene  of  their 
former  discomfiture,  enabled  the  sturdy  republicans  once 
more  to  hold  up  their  heads  in  the  presence  of  the  hated 
Saracen.  In  this,  as  in  the  previous  engagement,  if  the 
Venetian  historians  are  to  be  believed,  the  Greeks  behaved 
in  a  perfidious  and  cowardly  manner. 

VENETIANS  AND  GENOESE. 

The  fights  at  Crotona  were  but  the  first  of  countless 
battles  which  the  republic  found  it  necessary,  for  the  pro- 
tection of  her  commerce,  to  maintain  against  the  followers 
of  the  Prophet,  and  to  these  she  undoubtedly  owed  her  de- 


88        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE   WORLD. 

velopment,  as  a  vast  naval  power,  but,  as  the  accounts  of 
them,  by  contemporary  chroniclers,  are  vague,  contradictory 
and  confused,  and  as  we  shall  have  ample  opportunity  of 
making  ourselves  familiar  with  the  tactics  of  the  infidel  when 
we  come  to  the  great  battle  of  Lepanto,  I  prefer  to  pass 
them  over  in  silence,  as  well  as  other  conflicts  in  which 
Venice  was  engaged  with  opposing  Christian  States,  and 
shall  therefore  commence  my  story  from  the  period  when  the 
long-existing,  ill-disguised  hatred  between  her  and  her  com- 
mercial rival,  Genoa  the  Proud,  had  broken  out  for  the  third 
time  into  open  war,  and  at  the  very  moment — two  hours 
before  sunset,  on  the  thirteenth  of  February,  thirteen  hun- 
dred and  fift3^-three — when  the  allied  forces  of  Venice, 
Arragon  and  Constantinople,  numbering  seventy-five  galleys 
and  commanded  in  chief  by  Nicolo  Pisani,  were  preparing  to 
attack,  in  the  vicinity  of  Constantinople,  the  Genoese  fleet 
of  sixty-four  galleys,  led  by  the  redoubtable  Paganino  Doria. 

VICTORY  OF  THE  GENOESE  LED  BY  PAGANINO  DORIA, 
OVER  TPIE  VENETIANS,  SPANIARDS  AND  GREEKS,  NEAR 
CONSTANTINOPLE. 

The  line  of  battle  of  the  allies  was  formed  about  two  in 
the  afternoon,  with  the  Catalans  on  the  right,  the  Greeks  on 
the  left,  the  haughty  Republicans  in  the  centre ;  but  the 
wind  was  so  high,  and  the  sea  so  rough  and  irregular,  that 
no  line  could  long  be  preserved,  and  when  the  battle  was 
actually  joined,  there  was  but  little  more  order  in  the  allied 
fleet  than  in  that  of  Doria,  who,  taken  completely  by  sur- 
prise, scarcely  had  time  to  signal  to  two  of  his  squadrons, 
cruising  at  some  distance  from  him,  on  his  flanks,  close  with 
all  speedy  before  the  enemy  was  reported  to  be  bearing  down 
upon  him.  But  the  Genoese  was  a  thorough  master  of  his 
art,  and,  observing  that  Pisani,  in  his  eagerness  to  intercept 
one  of  the  detached  squadrons,  had  extended  his  centre  and 
right  wing  so  far  to  the  right,  as  to  isolate  the  Grecian  ves- 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  89 

sels,  eight  in  number,  on  the  left,  he  determined  to  concen- 
trate on  these  his  whole  disposable  force,  which,  with  this 
object  in  view,  he  now  formed  into  a  wedge,  the  port  column 
of  which  was  instructed  to  keep  its  course,  right  through  the 
gap  between  the  objective  aimed  at  and  the  Venetian  left, 
and  assail  the  Greeks  in  rear,  while  the  starboard  column  was 
to  be  thrown,  at  the  instant  the  head  of  the  wedge  should  be 
seen  passing  the  Grecian  right,  quickly  into  line  in  its  front. 
This  disposition  being  made,  he  signa-Hed  to  oblique,  at  full 
speed,  four  points  to  the  right.  The  Greeks,  however,  did 
not  await  his  coming ;  but,  adopting  the  mode  of  warfare  for 
which,  under  the  empire,  they  had  become  notorious,  they 
reversed  their  order^  hy  an  exceedingly  rapid  evolution^  and, 
spreading  their  canvas  to  a  fair  southerly  gale,  were  soon 
snugly  anchored  under  the  fortifications  of  the  Golden  Horn, 
whence  the  imperial  admiral,  Constantine  Tarchoniota,  en- 
joyed an  undisturbed  view,  while  daylight  lasted,  of  the 
prowess  of  those  whom  he  had  so  prudently  deserted.  Be- 
holding the  bad  conduct  of  the  Greeks,  Pisani  made  no  efPort 
to  recall  them  ;  but  moving  first  by  the  right  flank,  and  then 
deploying,  on  the  centre  of  his  column,  into  line,  he  entirely 
encompassed  the  squadron  he  was  pursuing,  whose  captains, 
seeing  no  chance  of  escape,  made  for  the  Asiatic  shore,  where 
they  set  fire  to  their  vessels  with  their  own  hands.  The 
destruction  of  ten  Genoese  galleys  being  thus  effected,. Pisani 
faced  about  to  receive  Doria,  who,  having  collected  all  his 
remaining  strength,  was  now  coming  up  in  his  rear,  in  three 
divisions,  each  in  double  echelon,  with  the  design  of  piercing 
his  van,  centre  and  rear,  failing  in  which,  because  of  the 
close  array  of  the  Venetians  and  Arragonese,  he  deployed 
into  line,  on  his  leading  vessels,  just  as  the  last  glimmer  of 
light  had  faded  from  the  western  sky ;  after  which  there  was 
no  attempt  at  manoeuvring,  on  either  side,  and  the  battle 
degenerated  into  a  mele'e.  The  Genoese  now  attempted  to 
carry  the  Arragonese  and  Venetian  vessels  by  boarding,  and 
the  officers  and  crews  of  these,  in  their  turn,  often  gained  the 
7 


90        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

decks  of  the  Genoese.  In  one  quarter  were  heard  appeals  to 
the  saints  for  strength  to  strike,  in  another  prayers  to  the 
Virgin  for  protection.  Here,  by  the  light  of  their  own  burn- 
ing vessel,  might  be  seen  a  few  wretched  mariners,  surround- 
ed by  the  blood-stained  corpses  of  their  comrades,  vainly  en- 
deavoring to  escape  death  by  leaping  into  the  sea — there  a 
disabled  galley,  drifting  into  the  breakers  under  her  lee, 
which  lashed  into  fury  by  the  prevailing  storm,  threutened 
with  annihilation  both  the  bark  and  her  crew.  Thus  fear- 
fully did  the  battle  continue,  at  intervals,  throughout  the 
night,  and,  when  day  dawned,  Pisani,  who  was  slightly 
wounded,  discovering  that  twenty-six  of  his  galleys  had 
either  been  captured  or  sunk,  gave  the  order  to  retreat ;  and 
Doria  could  justly  boast  that  he  had  gained  a  glorious  victory; 
since,' with  his  inferior  force,  he  had  beaten  off  his  assailant, 
with  a  loss  to  himself  of  but  thirteen  vessels.  The  number 
of  killed,  wounded  and  drowned  on  both  sides  was  fearful, 
and  both  Venice  and  Genoa  had  to  lament  the  death  of 
many  of  their  most  eminent  citizens.  Arragon,  too,  suffered 
greatly  in  this  respect ;  and  the  brave  Marquis  of  La  Paz, 
who  had  led  her  fleet,  died  shortly  afterwards  in  Constanti- 
nople, of  a  broken  heart,  it  was  said,  at  the  evil  event  of  the 
battle,  and  the  rejection,  by  Pisani,  of  his  own  strategical 
plans. 

When  the  news  of  their  defeat  in  the  East  reached  the 
Venetians,  an  inquiry  into  its  causes  was  instituted,  which 
led  to  the  exoneration  of  Pisani,  whom  they  were  at  first  in- 
clined to  censure,  from  all  blame.  He  was  accordingly 
vcontinued  in  command  of  the  Venetian  fleet. 


XJJBifGRATKiFUL  TREATMENT  OF  PAGANINO  DORIA  BY  THE 
.GENOESE— HE  ilS  DEPRIVED  OF  HIS  COMMAND,  WHICH 
IS  GIVEN  TO  HIS  BITTER  ENEMY,  ANTONIO  GRIMALDI. 

Far  different  was  the  treatment  experienced  by  Doria,  at 
the  hands  of  his  ungrateful  .countrymen  ;    for,   returning  to 


I 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  91 

Genoa,  where  he  had  every  right  to  expect  an  ovation,  he  met 
with  the  coldest  reception.  The  Grimaldi  faction,  the  bitter 
foes  of  himself  and  his  house,  had  been  actively  at  work 
during  his  absence,  and  the  silence  that  reigned  in  the  streets 
through  which  he  passed,  on  his  way  from  the  quay  where 
he  landed  to  the  stately  mansion  which  still  bears  his  family 
name,  told  of  grief  for  the  dead,  while  there  was  not  one 
word  of  greeting  for  the  living,  no  one  to  doff  Ms  cap  or  extend 
his  hand  to  the  gallant  old  admiral  who  had  so  nohly  sustained 
his  country's  honor  on  a  distant  sea.  So  far,  indeed,  had  the 
malice  of  his  enemies  prevailed  over  justice  and  honor  that 
he  was  actually  removed  from  the  command  of  the  fleet,  to 
make  room  for  the  most  unscrupulous  of  his  slanderers, 
Antonio  Grimaldi. 


UTTER  DEFEAT   OF  GRIMALDI  OFF  THE  ISLAND  OF  SAR- 
DINIA BY  THE  VENETIANS  AND  SPANIARDS. 

Shortly  afterward,  Grimaldi  was  dispatched  by  his  govern- 
ment, with  fifty-nine  sails,  to  the  relief  of  Alguiero,  a  sea- 
port of  Sardinia,  belonging  to  Genoa,  which  was  then  close- 
ly blockaded  by  the  Arragonese  admiral,  Bernardo  de  Cabrera, 
with  twenty-two  galleys. 

Upon  the  approach  of  the  Genoese,  in  such  overwhelm- 
ing numbers,  Cabrera  raised  the  blockade,  and  endeavored 
to  make  off  under  all  sail,  but,  finding  the  enemy  gaining  on 
him,  he  took  in  his  canvas,  between  Loj era  and  Cape  Cagliari, 
and  forming  in  line,  in  close  order,  with  (it  may  be  presumed) 
a  reserve  to  resist  any  attempt  to  turn  either^of  his  flanks,  he 
resolutely  awaited  their  attack.  The  onset  of  the  Genoese 
was  fierce  in  the  extreme,  but  fortunately  for  the  assailed, 
the  assailants  seem  to  have  regarded  victory  as  certain,  and 
to  have  been  careless  of  their  array ;  Grimaldi's  signal  being 
engage  as  fast  as  you  come  up  with  the  enemy ;  thus  their 
van  was  in  action  some  time  before  their  centre,  their  centre 
some  time  before  their  rear ;  and,  for  perhaps  an  hour,  the 


92  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

battle  was  rather  in  favor  of  than  against  the  Arragonese. 
At  length,  however,  numbers  began  to  prevail,  and  Cabrera 
saw  nothing  but  defeat  before  him  ;  for  the  decks  of  his  ves- 
sels were  covered  with  the  dead  and  the  dying;  five  had 
been  forced  to  strike  and  as  many  more  sent  to  the  bottom, 
while  all  were  more  or  less  disabled  in  oars  or  hull.  Yet  he 
bore  himself  bravely,  as  became  one  of  his  rank  and  race,  and 
encouraged  all  about  him,  both  by  speech  and  action.  If 
we  cannot  win,  said  he,  as  he  bore  down  upon  Grimaldi,  we 
can  die  with  honor/  Scarcely  were  the  words  spoken  when  a 
seaman  near  him  called  out:  Thanhs  to  Saint  Barbara,  here 
come  the  Venetians  !  and  at  the  same  instant  his  signal  offi- 
cer, respectfully  removing  his  cap,  and  pointing  with  it  to- 
ward Cape  Cagliari,  reported :  "  The  Venetian  fleet  is  in 
sight,  sir!  Yonder  comes  the  admiral's  vessel  round  the 
point !  "  Cabrera  looked  in  the  direction  indicated,  and  be- 
held— a  glorious  sight  for  a  sailor'' s  eyes  at  all  times  to  rest 
upon,  and  especially  at  a  time  like  this — rounding  the  Cape, 
not  two  miles  away,  and  sailing  in  column  of  divisions,  a 
magnificent  fleet  of  more  than  fifty  ships,  all  coming  to  his  re- 
lief, and  all  displaying  from  their  tall  mast-heads,  the  grim 
old  Lion  of  St.  Mark.  Even  while  he  looked  a  signal  went 
up  from  the  flag-ship,  in  obedience  to  which  sails  were  taken 
in,  and  in  another  instant,  their  van  swept  through  the 
Genoese  fleet,  and  turning  short  round  took  position  by  his 
side,  while  their  rear  and  centre  obliquing  to  the  right  and 
left,  assailed  the  enemy  in  flank.  The  Venetians  and  Cat- 
alans now  vied  with  each  other  in  deeds  of  daring  and  valor, 
and  the  air  resounded  with  the  cries  of  Down  with  the  Grenoese  ! 
Pisani  to  the  rescue  /* 

The  resistance  of  the  Genoese  was  sharp  but  could  not 
long  be  maintained,  and  but  little  time  had  elapsed,  from  the 
coming  of  the  Venetians,  ere  their  vessels  were  to  be  seen, 
on  all  sides,  hauling  down  their  colors,  or,  where  these  were 

*  Chamock  says  Rufino  commanded  the  Venetian  fleet  ;  but  in  this  he  errs. 
Rufino  was  appointed  proveditore  of  the  fleet,  but  Pisaui  remfiined  in  command. 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  93 

gone,  trailing  their  oars  in  token  of  submission.  The  victory 
of  the  allies  was  so  complete  that  but  eight  of  Grimaldi's  gal- 
leys escaped,  among  which  was  the  one  bearing  his  flag. 
His  loss  in  killed,  wounded  and  drowned  was  reported  to  be 
five  thousand. 

'*  It  would  not  have  fared  with  us  thus,"  said  a  weather- 
beaten  tar,  who  having  survived  the  action,  was  relating 
the  particulars  of  it,  on  one  of  the  quays  of  Genoa  to  his  dis- 
tressed and  now  repentant  countrymen.  It  would  not  have 
fared  with  us  thus^  had  tve  been  led  by  our  brave  old  Doria, 

Such  was  the  consternation  of  the  Genoese  at  the  result 
of  the  battle  of  Lojera,  such  their  terror  of  the  Venetians,  for 
whom  they  cherished  the  most  deadly  hatred,  that,  false  to 
five  centuries  of  independent  government,  they  threw  them- 
selves into  the  arms  of  Giovanni  Visconti,  Lord  of  Milan,  who 
was  accounted  the  most  powerful  Italian  prince  of  his  time. 


ABJECT  TERROR  OF  THE  GENOESE  UPON  THE  NEWS  OF 
GRIMALDI'S  DEFEAT. 

"  The  surrender  of  Genoa,  subject  to  the  enjoyment  of  her 
civil  rights  in  their  full  integrity  and  the  provision  by  Milan 
of  the  means  for  prosecuting  the  war  against  the  Signory 
with  unrelaxed  vigor,  was  accepted  without  delay  (October 
1353).  Count  Palavieini  was  sent  by  Visconti  with  a  gar- 
rison of  seven  hundred  cavalry  and  fifteen  hundred  infantry 
as  governor  of  the  city,  and  therequisite  sums  were  simul- 
taneously drawn  from  the  Milanese  treasury  to  defray  the 
cost  of  a  new  campaign."  But  another  fleet  was  to  be  fitted 
out  and  an  army  raised,  and  so  the  wily  Lord  of  Milan  felt  it 
necessary  to  amuse  the  Signory  with  overtures  of  peace,  until 
he  should  be  ready  to  assume  the  offensive ;  for  which  pur- 
pose he  selected,  as  his  embassador  to  the  Venetian  Govern- 
ment, the  illustrious  Petrarch,  who  undertook  the  mission 
most  willingly,  since  he  honestly  believed  himself  the  first 
diplomatist  of  his  day.     He  reached  Venice,  at  the  beginning 


94        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

of  the  year  thirteen  hundred  and  fifty -four,  "buoyant  in 
spirits  and  sanguine  of  success."  But  the  lover  of  Laura 
was  not  so  well  versed  in  State-craft  as  in  the  composition  of 
love  sonnets.  He  had  several  long  interviews  with  the  Doge 
Andrea  Dandolo— himself  a  man  of  letters  and  personally 
much  attached  to  Petrarch  in  which  he  discoursed  most 
fervently  on  the  blessings  of  peace  and  the  horrors  of  war ; 
but  he  had  no  rational  plan  to  submit  for  securing  the  one  or 
avoiding  the  other  ;  and  Dandolo,  who  perfectly  understood 
his  weak  side^  treated  him  Avith  the  utmost  courtesy  and  paid 
him  many  compliments  on  his  learning  and  eloquence;  yet, 
when  pressed  for  a  direct  answer  to  the  proposals  of  Yisconti, 
he  firmly  replied : 

"  The  Genoese,  in  their  attempt  to  deprive  us  of  our 
rights  upon  the  sea,  have  driven  us  to  arms.  To  them  be- 
longs the  responsibility  of  this  war;  and  if  the  Milanese 
choose  to  espouse  their  cause,  the  republic  has  no  choice  but 
to  enrol  them  also  among  the  number  of  its  foes. 

"  Arma  tenenti  omnia  dat  qui  justa  negate 

So  the  friend  of  Boccacio  left  the  Rialto  somewhat  crest- 
fallen, and  in  July  thirteen  hundred  and  fifty-four,  war  was 
formally  declared  against  Milan. 

GENOA  INTRUSTS  THE  COMMAND  OF  HER  FLEET  AGAIN 
TO  DORIA,  WHO  GAINS  A  GREAT  VICTORY  OVER  NI- 
COLO  PISANI,  IN  THE  HARBOR  OF  PORTOLONGO. 

While  this  fruitless  negotiation  had  been  pending,  Doria, 
who  was  again  in  command  of  the  Genoese  fleet,  had  not 
been  idle.  Early  in  May  he  ascended  the  Adriatic  and 
ravaged  the  districts  of  Lesina  and  Curzola,  and  before 
Pisani,  who  had  put  to  sea  from  Venice  with  forty-one  gal- 
leys, could  intercept  him,  he  had  left  the  gulf  and  was  seen 
steering  to  the  Westward.  Pisani  followed  him  (as  he  sup- 
posed) as  far  as  Sardinia ;  but  the  great  strategist  was  lying 
all  the  while  among  the  Ionian  islands,  and  no  sooner  had 


1 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  95 

his  enemy  passed  him  than  he  returned  to  the  gulf  and  took 
Parengo,  which  he  burned  to  the  ground.  This  so  alarmed 
the  Venetians  that  they  called  out  the  whole  force  of  the 
state,  appointed  Paolo  Loredano  captain  general  of  the  cit}^, 
and  sent  a  peremptory  order  to  Pisani  to  return  without  de- 
lay to  its  defense.  To  attack  it,  however,  formed  no  part  of 
Doria's  plan ;  and  before  Pisani  had  commenced  his  return 
from  Sardinia,  he  was  already  on  his  way  to  the  shores  of 
Asia,  where  he  made  sad  havoc  with  Venetian  commerce. 
Searching  for  him  here,  Pisani  fell  in  with  him  ofp  Scio,  and 
endeavored  to  bring  him  to  action ;  but  the  Genoese  was 
much  inferior  in  strength  to  his  adversary  ;  and  although  he 
may  have  felt  fully  confident  of  his  ability,  if  attacked,  to 
ward  off  his  blows  as  in  the  Bosphorus,  yet  he  regarded  with 
the  abhorrence  natural  to  a  great  commander  a  battle  from 
which  no  decisive  results  could  be  expected,  and  studiously 
avoided  a  collision.  Thus  the  summer  and  fall  passed  away  ; 
and,  toward  the  end  of  November,  Pisani  went  into  winter 
quarters  at  Portolongo,  opposite  the  island  of  Sapienza. 
Doria  was  about  to  follow  his  example,  when  he  learned  that 
Pisani,  trusting  for  defense  to  the  narrowness  of  the  port,  at 
the  mouth  of  which  were  anchored  twenty  galleys  under 
Nicolo  Quirini,  had  had  the  imprudence  to  dismantle  the  rest 
of  his  vessels,  some  of  which  were  actually  in  dock.  "  Now  I 
have  him,"  he  remarked  quietly  ;  and  steering  for  Portolongo 
with  all  dispatch,  he  arrived  off  the  place  before  anyone  there 
had  the  slightest  intimation  of  his  coming. 

A  hasty  reconnoisance  convinced  him  that  there  was  room 
for  a  galley  to  pass  between  the  Venetian  guard-vessels  and 
the  land  on  the  right  side  of  the  harbor,  and  he  directed  his 
nephew,  Giovanni  Doria,  to  take  advantage  of  it  to  get  in 
the  enemy's  rear.  Giovanni  carried  out  his  orders  with 
gallantry  and  zeal;  and  the  Venetians  found  themselves  at- 
tacked on  all  sides,  while  they  were  yet  in  the  act  of  getting 
under  way.  Resistance,  under  these  circumstances,  would 
have  been  madness  ;   and  the  officer  temporarily  in  charge  of 


96         THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

the  division — for  Quirini  seems  to  have  been  on  shore  at  the 
time,  so  unforeseen  was  the  attack — reluctantly  gave  the  order 
to  strike ;  not,  however,  before  four  hundred  and  fifty  of  his 
officers  and  men  were  either  wounded  or  slain. 

The  whole  of  the  Venetian  fleet  was  captured,  with  an 
immense  quantity  of  naval  stores  of  every  description.  The 
number  of  the  prisoners  was  six  thousand.  Pisani  and  Quir- 
ini made  their  escape  to  Venice,  where  they  were  brought  to 
trial,  and  convicted  of  the  grossest  neglect  of  duty.  The 
former  was  disqualified  forever  from  holding  the  supreme 
command  of  the  Venetian  forces  by  hind  or  sea ;  the  latter 
suspended  from  duty  for  six  years,  and  each  compelled  to 
pay  a  fine  of  one  thousand  lives. 

This  was  the  last  exploit  of  the  great  Doria, — an  admiral 
to  whom  battle  and  victory  were  synonymous  terms.  He  died 
not  long  afterward,  and  was  soon  forgotten  by  the  people  he 
had  served  so  faithfully  and  well ;  but  he  will  live  in  the 
hearts  of  seamen  of  all  nations  and  of  every  clime,  while  the 
earth  and  the  sea  exist. 

The  disaster  at  Portolongo  was  a  fearful  one  for  Venice ; 
yet  there  was  no  cry  of  abject  fear  throughout  her  streets, 
such  as  had  disgraced  Genoa  after  the  battle  of  Lojera.  On 
the  contrary,  she  at  once  began  to  levy  fresh  forces,  and  to 
equip  for  sea  the  new  galleys  in  her  dockyard,  as  well  as  all 
the  merchant  ships  belonging  to  her  which  happened  to  be 
lying  in  her  harbor.  So  firm,  indeed,  was  her  attitude  that, 
on  the  8th  of  January,  Milan  and  Genoa  entered  into  an 
armistice  with  her  for  four  months,  preparatory,  it  was  hoped, 
to  a  lasting  peace. 

A  VENETIAN  TRAGEDY. 

While  negotiations  were  going  on  for  this  purpose,  an 
event  happened  in  Venice  which  startled  the  civilized  world, 
and  which,  as  it  had  its  origin  in  the  person  of  a  Venetian 
admiral  and  at  the  naval  dockyard,  must  be  regarded  as  in 
some  degree  belonging  to  her  naval  annals. 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  97 

On  the  morning  of  April  3rd,  Marco  Barbaro,  a  wealthy 
nobleman,  called  on  the  Commandant  of  the  dockyard,  Ad- 
miral Stefano  Chiazza,  with  the  view  of  getting  employment 
for  a  favorite  of  his  in  one  of  its  workshops ;  and  being  told 
by  the  admiral  that  there  was  no  place  for  his  -protege.,  he 
became  greatly  enraged,  and,  after  using  much  abusive  lan- 
guage, so  far  forgot  himself  as  to  strike  the  old  officer  in  the 
face  with  his  clenched  fist.  So  violent  was  the  blow,  that 
Chiazza  fell  fainting  to  the  floor ;  and,  when  he  recovered  his 
senses,  Barbaro  had  disappeared.  Wild  with  rage  at  the 
indignity  put  upon  him,  he  rose  to  his  feet  and  paced  slowly 
back  and  forth  in  his  office,  wrapped  in  thought.  What 
course  to  pursue  to  obtain  satisfaction  he  knew  not.  The 
duello  was  not  then  in  vogue  in  Venice  ;  and  even  if  it  had 
been  he — a  commoner — could  not  hope  to  measure  swords 
with  a  'patrician.,  notwithstanding  his  high  official  position. 
At  length  his  face  lightened.  A  bright  thought  seemed  to 
have  struck  him.  "  These  men  have  tried  our  patience  too 
long,"  he  muttered.  "  Faliero  cannot  like  them  any  better 
than  I.  Jealousy  is  an  all-absorbing  passion — especially  in  an 
old  man,  who  has  a  young  and  beautiful  wife."  So  saying,  he 
left  his  office,  and  took  his  way  to  the  Ducal  palace,  where 
he  narrated  to  the  Doge  what  had  occurred. 

"  Admiral,"  said  the  Doge,  as  Stefano  ceased  speaking, 
"  I  assure  you,  you  have  my  fullest  sympathy." 

"  I  came  not  for  sympathy,  your  Serenity,"  was  the  reply ; 
"  I  demand  redress  !  " 

"  Redress ! "  exclaimed  the  Doge,  rising  hurriedly  from 
his  seat.  ''  How  can  I  obtain  redress  for  another,  who  can- 
not obtain  it  for  myself?" 

"  Do  you  refer  to  the  case  of  Michele  Steno,  your  Seren- 
ity?" 

"  To  whom  else  could  I  refer.  Admiral,  than  to  the  ribald 
knave,  who  had  the  assurance  to  place  on  the  outside  wall 
of  my  house,  in  letters  so  large  that  all  passers-by  might  read 
it,  this  choice  inscription  ? — 


98        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

"  Marino  Faliero  della  hella  moglie  ;  lui  la  mantiene,  ed  altri  la 
godonoy 

And  as  the  old  man  recited  these  galling  words  his  eyes 
flashed,  and  his  face  became  livid  with  passion. 

Stefano  looked  at  him  steadfastly,  and  without  speaking 
for  some  minutes.     Then  he  said,  almost  in  a  whisper — 

"  If  my  neighbor  has  a  biting  dog,  and  will  not  chain  him, 
why — then — "  and  here  he  hesitated. 

"  Then  what  ? "  asked  Faliero,  stamping  his  foot  impa- 
tiently on  the  floor. 

"  Why,  then,"  continued  Chiazza  coolly,  ''  I  kill  him." 

"  How  might  such  a  thing  be  done  ?  "  asked  the  Doge,  in 
a  low  tone,  as  if  communing  with  himself. 

"  Readily  enough,"  replied  Chiazza  quickly.  "  The  com- 
moners of  the  better  class,  whose  wives  and  daughters  are 
insulted  daily  by  the  profligate  young  nobles,  hate  them  with 
a  bitter  hatred ;  and  the  rabble  here,  as  elsewhere,  can  be 
bought  with  gold  !  " 

Up  to  this  time,  Faliero  may  have  contemplated  the  kill- 
ing of  Steno  only ;  and,  indeed,  it  seems  hardly  credible  that 
he  could  have  desired  the  extirpation  of  that  Avhole  order,  of 
which  his  own  family  formed  so  conspicuous  a  part ;  but  he 
had  gone  too  far  to  recede. 

That  night  he  entered  into  a  conspiracy  with  Chiazza  and 
others,  for  the  complete  overthroAV  of  the  government.  On 
the  fifteenth  of  the  month  the  nobles  were  to  be  murdered  to 
a  man,  and  Marino  Faliero  declared  the  Head  of  the  State,  with 
absolute  power. 

It  happened,  however,  that  one  of  the  conspirators,  Bel- 
tramo  de  Bergamo,  had  a  noble  patron,  Nicolo  Lioni,  whom, 
from  motives  of  gratitude,  he  was  most  unwilling  to  see 
among  the  proscribed ;  and  it  being  arranged  that  the  mas- 
sacre should  take  place  in  the  streets,  as  the  nobles  were  on 
their  way  to  the  Square  of  St.  Marks,  whither  they  were  to 
be  summoned  upon  the  pretence  that  a  Genoese  fleet  was 
approaching  the  city,  Beltramo  went  to  Lioni's  palace  on  the 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  99 

evening  of  the  fourteenth,  and  darkly  insinuated  that  it 
would  he  well  for  the  Signor  not  to  stir  out  of  his  house  on  the 
morrow. 

Words  so  pregnant  with  meaning  were  not  lost  upon 
Nicolo,  a  man  of  sound  judgment,  and,  as  the  event  proved, 
of  prompt  action,  who,  giving  orders  to  his  servants  to  detain 
Beltramo  a  close  prisoner  until  his  return,  repaired  with  all 
speed  to  the  Doge,  by  whom,  to  his  utter  amazement,  his 
story  was  characterized  as  utterl}^  absurd.  But  while  Faliero 
spoke  thus,  his  confused  manner  and  faltering  voice  betrayed 
him,  and  Lioni  left  him  with  the  firm  conviction  that  some 
tragedy  was  about  to  be  enacted,  in  which  his  Serenity  was 
to  play  a  principal  part.  He,  therefore,  called  upon  two  of 
his  most  intimate  friends,  Giovanni  Gradenigo  and  Marco 
Cornaro,  and  persuaded  them  to  go  to  his  house  with  him, 
where  the  three  nobles  subjected  Beltramo  to  such  a  search- 
ing cross-examination  as  compelled  him  to  expose  the  whole 
conspiracy. 

The  six  Privy  Councillors  and  the  Council  of  Ten  were 
at  once  assembled,  and  Marino  Faliero  was  cited  to  appear 
before  them ;  and,  having  confessed  his  guilt,  he  was  sen- 
tenced to  be  beheaded,  at  the  head  of  the  great  Staircase  of 
St.  Marks. 

Accordingly,  on  the  morning  of  the  seventeenth  of  April, 
he  was  conducted  under  guard  from  his  apartment  to  the 
place  of  execution,  where  he  begged  pardon  of  the  people 
for  his  grievous  ofPense,  and  denounced  himself  as  the  worst 
of  criminals.  His  scarlet  cloak  was  now  taken  off,  and 
replaced  with  a  black  one,  and  a  black  cap  substituted  for  the 
ducal  bonnet  or  heretta.  Then  the  unhappy  old  man  laid  his 
head  upon  the  block,  and,  with  a  single  stroke,  the  execu- 
tioner severed  it  from  his  body.  At  the  same  time  the  in- 
famous Chiazza  and  some  ten  others  were  beheaded  between 
the  red  columns^ — the  usual  i3lace  of  execution,^ — where,  to  the 
horror  of  the  people,  who  looked  upon  the  act  as  ominous  of 
evil,  Faliero  upon  being  first  invested  with  the  heretta  had 


100.       THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

landed  by  mistake,  instead  of  at  the  Doge's  landing-place, 
the  Riva  della  Paglia. 

The  remains  of  the  Doge  were  interred  at  San  Giovanni 
e  Paolo,  behind  the  monastery ;  and  the  words,  Let  it  not  he 
written !  at  the  head  of  a  blank  leaf  in  one  of  the  books 
containing  the  "  Transactions  of  the  Ten,"  afford  the  sole 
cine  to  a  great  crime  and  its  appropriate  punishment. 

The  portrait  of  Faliero  was  at  first  hung  up  in  the  Senate 
Chamber,  beside  the  portraits  of  his  predecessors  in  office ; 
but,  tAvelve  years  after  his  execution,  by  a  decree  of  the  Ten, 
it  was  removed,  and  a  black  crape  curtain  drawn  over  the 
place  which  it  had  occupied  ;  above  which  was  inscribed,  in 
letters  still  to  be  discerned,  Hie  est  locus  Marini  Faliero  deca- 
pitati  pro  criminihus. 

Three  centuries  later,  some  workmen  at  San  Giovanni, 
engaged  in  preparing  a  foundation  for  a  building  about  to  be 
erected,  accidentally  excavated  a  marble  sarcophagus.  One 
of  their  number,  more  curious  than  the  rest,  raised  the  lid, 
and,  peeping  in,  started  back  aghast. — A  skeleton  with  the  skull 
between  the  knees.,  was  all  that  ivas  left  of  the  man  who^  through 
marrying  a  young  woman  in  his  old  age.,  had  been  led  into  crime^ 
and  brought  shame  upon  that  great  house  ivhich  had  given  three 
Doges  to  Venice. 

WAR  AGAIN  DECLARED  BY  VENICE  AGAINST  GENOA.  SHE 
PLACES  HER  GREAT  ADMIRAL,  VETTORE  PISANI,  IN 
COMMAND  OF  HER  NAVAL  FORCES. 

In  June,  a  treaty  of  peace  was  concluded  between  Genoa 
and  Venice,  by  which  the  ships  of  the  latter  were  excluded 
for  three  years  from  every  port  in  the  Black  Sea,  except 
Cafta.  This  serious  blow  to  her  commerce  in  that  quarter, 
the  republic  endeavored  to  counterbalance  by  the  improve- 
ment of  her  trade  with  Flanders,  Egypt  and  Barbary.  This 
peace  lasted  until  April,  1378 ;  when  a  dispute  having  arisen 
between  the  rival  States  in  relation  to  the  island  of  Tene- 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD. 


101 


dos,  which  the  Venetians  had  taken  possession  of,  the 
Signor}^  formally  declared  war  against  Genoa,  which  it  de- 
nounced as  false  to  all  its  oaths  and  obligations. 

On  the  twenty-sixth  of  this  month  Vet  tore  Pisani  was 
invested  with  the  supreme  command  of  the  naval  forces  of 
the  republic  by  the  Doge  in  person,  who,  delivering  to  him 
the  great  banner  of  Venice,  in  the  Square  of  St.  Mark, 
thronged  with  spectators,  thus  addressed  him :  '^  Admiral, 
in  the  name  of  all  the  people,  I  intrust  to  your  care  this 
glorious  standard,  which,  for  more  than  seven  centuries,  has 
waved  in  triumph  over  the  Adriatic.  Look  to  it  that  it 
receive  no  stain  in  your  hands  !  " 

Then  the  Admiral,  kneeling  down  and  reverently  uncov- 
ering his  head,  swore  to  defend  it  and  the  republic  with  his 
life.  After  which  the  banner  was  carried  in  procession  to 
his  flag-ship,  where  it  was  unfurled  with  great  pomp  and  cere- 
mony, amid  the  cheers  of  the  whole  fleet.  The  new  com- 
mander-in-chief was  the  son  of  Nicolo  Pisani,  and  had  held  a 
commission  in  the  Navy  for  twenty-five  years.  He  had  been 
in  many  actions,  both  afloat  and  ashore,  in  all  of  which  he 
had  distinguished  himself  for  coolness,  courage  and  sound 
judgment.  Although  of  a  somewhat  passionate  nature,  he 
was  a  man  of  warm  heart  and  of  great  amiability  of  character  ; 
and  his  courteous  manners  and  chivalric  bearing  had  gained 
him  the  respect  and  affection  of  all  who  had  had  the  good 
fortune  to  serve  under  him.  He  was  greatly  beloved  by  the 
people,  and  consequently  not  looked  upon  with  favor  by  his 
own  class,  the  patricians,  who  regarded  him  certainly  with 
jealousy, — perhaps  even  with  fear.  Of  the  seamen  he  was  the 
idol ;  and  it  was  a  common  saying  of  theirs  that  victory  fol- 
lowed where  Vettore  Pisani  led.  Such  was  the  man  to 
whom  Venice  now  intrusted  her  destinies,  and  to  whom,  as 
we  shall  shortly  see,  she  afterwards  owed  her  safety,  when 
the  enemy  was  even  within  her  lagoons^  threatening  to  hoist 
the  Genoese  flag  over  the  Campanile  of  St.  Mark. 


102  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 


pisani  defeats  the  gei^oese  admiral,  fieschi,  off 

a:n^tium. 

Pisani  sailed  from  Venice  early  in  May,  with  fourteen 
galleys ;  and,  on  the  thirtieth  of  the  month,  while  cruising  ofp 
Antium  came  across  a  Genoese  squadron  of  ten  galleys,  com- 
manded by  Admiral  Fieschi.  It  was  blowing  a  gale  at  the 
time,  and  five  of  Pisani's  vessels,  which  had  parted  company 
with  him,  and  fallen  to  leeward,  were  unable  to  rejoin  him, 
while  one  of  Fieschi's  drifted  ashore,  and  was  wrecked.  Thus, 
the  battle  which  immediately  ensued,  was  between  equal 
forces  ;  but  the  Genoese  admiral  was  no  match  for  Vettore 
Pisani,  who,  having  the  weather-gage  of  his  opponent,  ranged 
in  line  under  oars,  bore  down  upon  him  under  all  sail,  as  if 
intending  to  engage  him  squarely  in  front. 

Just  before  he  reached  him,  however,  and  while  moving 
with  great  speed,  he  obliqued  to  the  right,  and  concentrated 
upon  his  centre  and  left  wing,  which  were  doubled  up  and 
beaten  almost  as  soon  as  assailed, — Fieschi  himself  being  taken 
prisoner.  Four  of  the  Genoese  vessels  were  taken  possession 
of  by  the  Venetians,  together  with  their  officers  and  men, 
amounting  in  all  to  eight  hundred  souls. 

During  the  summer,  Pisani  captured  great  numbers  of 
the  enemy's  merchantmen ;  but  was  unable  to  find  their  fleet, 
which,  under  Luciano  Doria,  was  actively  engaged  in  cutting 
up  Venetian  commerce  in  the  East. 

In  November,  he  asked  permission  to  return  to  Venice  to 
refit  his  vessels,  which  were  in  a  very  bad  condition,  but  this 
was  denied  him  ;  and,  being  kept  constantl}^  cruising  through 
the  winter,  at  its  expiration  only  six  of  his  vessels  were 
found  to  be  seaworthy.  Twelve  others,  however,  were  fitted 
out  at  their  own  expense,  and  sent  to  him  by  his  friends,  who 
perceived  that  his  political  enemies  were  making  an  effort  to 
ruin  him. 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  103 

At  the  end  of  February,  thirteen  hundred  and  seventy 
nine,  Michele  Steno  and  Donate  Zeno  were  appointed  by  the 
Government  proveditori  of  the  fleet.  These  officers,  like  the 
field  deputies  of  the  Dutch  republic  in  later  times,  were  set 
as  spies  over  the  commander-in-chief,  whose  operations  they 
entirely  controlled. 

PISANI  BEING  FORCED,  BY  THE  PROVEDI TORT,  TO  FIGHT 
A  BATTLE  AGAINST  SUPERIOR  FORCES,  OFF  POLA,  IS 
ALMOST  ANNIHILATED  BY  HIS  ADVERSARY,  LUCIANO 
DORIA,  AND  ON  HIS  REUURN  TO  VENICE,  IS  LOADED 
WITH  CHAINS,  AND  CONFINED  IN  A  DUNGEON. 

On  the  first  of  May,  Pisani  left  Brindisi,  bound  to  Ve- 
nice, having  a  large  number  of  merchantmen  in  charge,  laden 
with  wheat ;  and,  on  the  sixth  instant,  as  the  weather  looked 
squally,  put  into  Pola,  with  his  convoy  for  the  night. 

On  the  following  morning,  at  day-break,  it  was  reported 
to  him  that  Doria  was  off  the  port  with  twenty-five  vessels  ; 
whereupon  he  determined  not  to  leave  his  anchorage  until 
Carlo  Zeno,  whom  he  was  expecting  with  a  re-enforcement 
of  ten  galleys,  should  be  seen  approaching.  But  the  Provedi- 
tori,  loudly  denouncing  such  a  determination  as  a  reflection 
upon  the  valor  of  his  officers  and  men,  ordered  him,  peremp- 
torily, in  the  name  of  the  Senate,  to  engage  the  enemy  with- 
out delay.  Pisani,  therefore,  got  underway ;  and  as  he  knew 
the  dread  that  the  name  of  Doria  inspired  in  Venetian 
breasts,  he  passed  in  his  flag- ship  within  hail  of  every  vessel 
of  his  fleet,  exhorting  their  crews  to  bear  themselves  bravely 
in  the  coming  fight ;  and  to  remember  that  the  stripling  Luciano 
was  a  very  different  person  from  his  father,  Pag  anino.  "  Were 
it  not  so,"  said  he  (wisely  and  patriotically  concealing  from 
them  the  difference  of  opinion  between  himself  and  the  Prove- 
ditori),  "  your  admiral  would  not  be  so  ready  to  lead  you 
against  his  superior  force.  Strike,  then,  this  day  for  Venice 
and  St.  Mark !  and  with  one  blow  we  will  end  the  war." 


104  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

He  now  sailed  down  the  harbor  with  a  fair  wind ;  and  at 
its  mouth  observing  Doria's  vessels  to  leeward,  drawn  up  in 
line  with  a  strong  reserve  in  rear,  he  formed  his  own  fleet 
also  into  line,  and  bore  down  upon  the  enemy  as  fast  as  oars 
and  sails  could  carry  him,  obliquing  to  the  right  when  near, 
and  concentrating  upon  their  centre  and  left  wing,  as  at 
Antium.  Luciano  Doria,  however,  had  anticipated  this 
movement,  and  hurried  up  his  reserve  to  the  support  of  his 
menaced  flank;  while  his  right  wing,  swinging  to  port,  threat- 
ened with  annihilation  Pisani's  left.  But  the  Venetians,  thus 
beset,  fought  with  more  than  their  usual  gallantry;  and  wher- 
ever their  spirits  flagged  there  was  heard  the  cheering  voice  of 
their  admiral,  calling  upon  them  to  remember  Venice^  and  fight 
courageously.  Thus  the  battle  raged  for  three  hours,  and 
several  Genoese  vessels  had  been  forced  to  surrender ;  when 
Doria,  trained  in  his  father's  school,  resolved  to  resort  to 
stratagem.  Signalling  to  have  everything  ready  for  making 
sail,  he  seized  a  favorable  moment  to  bear  up,  and  spreading 
all  his  canvas,  was  a  mile  away  before  the  surprised  Venetians 
Avere  prepared  to  follow  him.  They  then  made  sail  one  after 
the  other,  in  pursuit;  and  Pisani,  who  saw,  from  the  good  order 
prevailing  in  Doria's  fleet,  that  this  retreat  was  but  a  ruse,vainly 
endeavored  to  stop  them.  Signal  after  signal  was  made  and 
disregarded ;  and  Michele  Steno  encouraged  the  general  dis- 
obedience by  his  own  bad  example ;  seeing  which,  Pisani  made 
all  sail  himself,  trusting  by  his  presence,  perhaps,  to  avert  the 
impending  disaster.  But  this  was  now  impossible ;  for  Doria 
no  sooner  perceived  his  enemy  extended  in  a  long  irregular 
column,  than  he  put  about,  and  commencing  his  attack  at 
the  head  of  the  column  carried  everything  before  him,  virtually 
ending  the  fight  just  as  Pisani  ran  along  side  of  him  with  the 
intention  of  boarding ;  when,  raising  his  visor,  he  shouted  at 
the  top  of  his  voice :  Victory.,  victory  ! — the  battle  is  ours  !  These 
were  his  last  words.  Donato  Zeno,  seizing  the  favorable 
moment,  buried  the  point  of  his  lance  in  his  throat,  and  the 
brave  Doria  fell  to  the  deck  a  corpse.     Pisani  now  called 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD, 


105 


out:  Courage^  comrades — Boria  is  dead!  But,  looking  up,  he 
observed  the  Genoese  colors  flying  above  the  banner  of  St. 
Mark  throughout  almost  his  entire  fleet,  whereupon  he  made 
the  best  of  his  way  to  Parenzo,  followed  by  five  of  his  galleys, 
which  were  all  that  were  saved  from  this  most  terrible  en- 
gagement, wherein  eight  hundred  Venetians,  perished  and 
two  thousand  were  taken  prisoners.  All  of  the  grain  vessels, 
too,  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands. 

This  signal  triumph  was  dearly  purchased,  however,  by 
the  Genoese,  who  had  reason  to  lament  for  many  long  years 
the  death  of  Luciano  Doria.  A  thousand  masses  were  offered 
up,  in  the  cathedral  at  Genoa,  for  the  repose  of  the  deceased 
hero's  soul ;  while  his  body  was  placed  tenderly  to  rest,  by 
his  mourning  comrades  at  his  father's  right  hand,  in  the  family 
vault,  where  the  old  and  the  young  warrior  are  still  lying  side 
hy  side. 

The  defeat  at  Pola  filled  Venice  with  amazement  and 
consternation;  for  Carlo  Zeno,  it  seems,  instead  of  being 
sent  to  join  Pisani,  had  been  dispatched  on  a  cruise  to  the 
Black  Sea ;  so  that  the  six  galleys  at  Parenzo  were  all  that 
were  at  the  immediate  disposal  of  the  republic  in  this  fear- 
ful crisis,  when  the  enemy  was  within  a  day's  sail  of  the 
lagoons. 

Pisani  was  now  violently  assailed  by  his  enemies ;  although 
they  well  knew  that  he  had  fought  the  battle  of  Polo  against 
his  own  judgment,  and  agreeably  to  the  wishes  of  the  govern- 
ment, as  made  known  to  him  by  its  accredited  agents,  Michele 
Steno  and  Donato  Zeno.  The  Great  Council  decreed  his 
immediate  removal  from  the  supreme  command,  and  he  was 
brought  to  Venice  loaded  with  chains.  Dragged  before  the 
Senate  for  trial,  one  of  its  members  had  the  infamy  to  move 
that  Vettore  Pisani  he  beheaded  between  the  Red  Columns  ;  and 
this  motion  being  negatived,  he  was  finally  sentenced  to  six 
months*  imprisonment  in  that  fearful  dungeon,  over  the  door 
of  which,  as  over  Dante's  entrance  to  hell,  might  well  have 
been  inscribed:  Leave  here  all  hope,  0  ye  who  enter  in! 
8 


106 


THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 


THE  GENOESE,  AFTER  TAKING  AND  BURNING   SEVERAL 
VENETIAN  TOWNS,  APPEAR  OFF  VENICE. 

While  this  .mockery  of  justice  was  being  enacted  in 
Venice,  the  Genoese  had  burned  Grado,  Omago,  Rovigno 
and  Coorlo ;  and  on  the  sixth  of  August  their  fleet  of  forty- 
seven  galleys,  commanded  by  Pietro  Doria,  a  cousin  of  the 
late  admiral,  appeared  off  the  "  City  of  the  Sea,"  whose  rela- 
tive situation,  with  regard  to  its  immediate  dependencies, 
must  now  be  given,  in  order  that  what  follows  may  be  clearly 
understood. 

Of  the  natural  channels  which  existed  in  the  fringe  of 
land  surrounding  Venice,"  says  Hazlitt,  "  the  northernmost 
was  that  of  Treporti.  It  separated  the  islets  of  San  Erasmo 
and  San  Nicolo ;  and  it  was  adapted  only  for  craft  of  the  small- 
est description.  The  next  aperture  was  that  which  lay  to  the 
south  of  San  Nicolo,  and  which  disjoined  the  latter  from  Mala- 
mocco ;  it  was  known  as  the  port  of  Lido.  To  the  south  of 
Malamocco,  in  a  nearly  straight  line  of  five  miles,  lay  Peles- 
trina;  and  the  space  between  the  two  islands  formed  the  port 
of  Malamocco,  or  the  principal  harbor  of  Venice.  It  was  here 
that  the  deepest  soundings  were  taken,  and  that  vessels  of 
the  largest  draught  were  able  to  ride.  Below  Pelestrina 
was  Brondolo,  behind  which  stood  Chioggia.  The  southern 
point  of  Brondolo  all  but  touched  the  Terra  Firma. 

"  Chioggia,  more  anciently  known  as  Sotta  Marina,  was 
thus  placed  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  Dogado.  It 
was  bisected  by  the  Canal  of  Santa  Caterina  into  Chioggia, 
Piccola,  and  Chioggio  Grande,  which  communicated  by  a 
draw-bridge  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  length.  Great  Chiog- 
gia was  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  square,  with  a 
circumference  of  two  miles.  A  canal,  running  the  whole 
length  of  the  lagoons,  connected  it  with  the  capital,  from 
which  it  was  distant  five  and  twenty  miles.  The  configura- 
tion of  Venice,  and  the  narrowness  of  its  superficial  area. 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  107 

make  it  easy  to  imagine  the  anguish  with  which  the  intrusion 
of  a  foreign  invader  on  Venetian  ground  inspired  the  Senate 
and  the  people." 

Upon  the  approach  of  the  Genoese  all  the  above  mention- 
ed channels  had  been  obstructed  with  sunken  vessels,  booms 
and  chains,  except  the  very  narrow  one  between  Brondolo 
and  the  mainland,  through  which,  to  the  surprise  and  con- 
sternation of  the  Signory,  the  enemy  now  penetrated,  landing 
an  army  and  taking  possession  of  Little  Chioggia  without 
resistance,  and  preparing  to  continue  their  march  to  Great 
Chioggia,  the  fall  of  which  they  confidently  expected  would 
lead  to  that  of  the  coveted  capital.  But  upon  reaching  the 
long  narrow  street  leading  to  the  bridge  over  which  it  is 
necessary  to  pass  to  come  at  Great  Chioggia,  they  found  it 
commanded  by  a  small  fort,  bristling  with  cannon  which 
were  now  coming  into  general  use  all  over  Europe,  and  hav- 
ing made  a  reconnoisance  of  the  work,  they  wisely  deter- 
mined to  await  the  arrival  of  the  troops  of  Carrara,  their  ally, 
already  near  at  hand,  before  attempting  further  operations. 
On  the  tenth  the  expected  re-enforcement  arrived ;  and  on 
the  eleventh  the  army  of  the  allies,  twenty-four  thousand 
strong,  commenced  its  assault  upon  the  fort,  which,  continued 
without  intermission  for  five  days;  and  the  assailants,  who 
had  suffered  fearfully,  were  beginning  to  relinquish  all  hope 
of  carrying  it ;  when  a  fire  broke  out  on  board  a  vessel  in  the 
canal  of  Santa  Caterina,  which  gave  rise  to  a  rumor  among 
the  defenders  of  the  fort  that  the  bridge  was  in  flames  in 
their  rear ;  whereupon  they  deserted  their  guns,  and  fled  over 
it  in  a  panic,  thinking  that  there  were  but  a  few  minutes 
left  to  them  to  secure  their  safe  retreat.  So  great  was  their 
disorder  that  they  neglected  to  raise  the  draw  after  they 
had  passed  it;  and  a  free  passage  was  thus  given  to  the 
enemy,  who  were  not  slow  in  taking  advantage  of  it;  so 
that  Venetians,  Genoese  and  Carrarese  entered  the  gates  of 
Great  Chioggia  almost  side  by  side.  Of  the  garrison  in  the 
town,  eight  hundred  were  put  to  the  sword,  and  four  thou- 
sand taken  prisoners. 


108  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD, 


GREAT  CHIOGGIA  BEING  TAKEN  BY  THE  ENEMY,  THE 
VENETIAN  PEOPLE  INSIST  UPON  PISANI'S  BEING  IN- 
VESTED WITH  THE  CHIEF  COMMAND.  HE  SAVES 
VENICE.     HIS  ADMIRABLE  CONDUCT  AND  CHARACTER. 

The  terror  which  now  reigned  in  Venice  no  language 
can  describe.  The  bell  of  the  Cam-pajiile  was  tolled, — a  sig- 
nal that  danger  pressed,  and  the  foe  drew  near, — and  the 
great  Square  of  St.  Mark  was  soon  filled  with  armed  men. 
The  Doge,  Andrea  Coutarini,  who  was  then  in  his  seventy- 
third  year,  made  his  appearance  on  the  balcony  of  the  palace. 
"  My  children,"  said  he,  "  this  is  sad  news  that  we  hear ;  but 
the  new  Captain-General  does  not  despair ;  and  for  myself  I 
can  say  that,  so  long  as  there  are  men  enough  left  to  garrison 
a  fort  or  man  a  galley,  so  long  will  I  continue  to  defend  the 
city." 

But  a  veteran,  who  had  served  under  Pisani  from  youth 
to  old  age,  now  came  forth  from  the  crowd,  and  replied  re- 
spectfully but  resolutely :  "  Giustianni,  we  all  know,  your 
Serenity,  comes  of  a  good  race,  and  has  often  approved  him- 
iself  a  gallant  officer  ;  but  God  has  not  gifted  him  with  great 
.lability.  There  is  but  one  man  in  Venice  who  can  save  her 
in  this  her  hour  of  peril ;    and  that  man  is  Vettore  Pisani !  " 

These  were  brave  words,  and  bravely  were  they  spoken  ; 
ifor  Giustianni  was  one  of  the  most  powerful  of  the  nobles, 
.and  his  followers  and  dependents  frowned  darkly  upon  the 
speaker.  But  his  speech  had  found  a  responsive  echo  in  the 
breasts  of  the  populace  ;  and  a  cry  arose  that  went  from  mouth 
to  mouth,  through  every  street  and  every  canal  of  the  city, — 
penetrating  at  last  even  through  the  walls  of  the  loathsome 
dungeon,  where  the  admiral  lay  upon  his  bed  of  straw, — of 
Pisani  to  the  front.  Griustianni  to  the  rear  !  Long  live  Vettore 
Pisani  I  The  members  of  the  Council  of  Ten  next  appeared 
on  the  balcony,  and,  taking  their  places  on  either  side  of  the 
Doge  endeavored  to  address  the  multitude ;  but  their  voices 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  109 

were  unheeded,  and,  finding  that  the  people  would  not  be 
denied,  they  reluctantly  promised  that  Pisani  should  be 
released.  It  was  growing  late,  and  the  citizens  retired  to 
their  homes.  At  day-break,  on  the  following  morning,  a 
Committee  of  the  Senate  repaired  to  the  dungeon,  and, 
bringing  Pisani  forth,  escorted  him  to  the  palace,  where  the 
Doge  received  him  most  affectionately.  He  accompanied 
Contarini  to  the  Chapel  of  St.  Nicholas,  and,  after  hearing 
mass,  betook  Jiimself  to  his .  house  at  San  Fantino.  On  his 
way  thither  he  was  met  by  an  immense  concourse  of  his  fellow- 
citizens,  headed  by  a  (-ertain  Marino  Corbaro,  a  great  grum- 
bler, but  a  good  seaman,  who  had  served  under  Pisani  in  the 
capacity  of  pilot,  and  was  greatly  attached  to  him.  This 
man  ran  up  to  the  admiral,  waving  his  hat  in  the  air,  and 
shouting  at  the  top  of  his  lungs  :  "  Seize  the  opportunity, 
Pisani,  to  make  yourself  the  Head  of  the  State !  We  are 
heartily  tired  of  our  incompetent  rulers  !  "  But  the  loyal 
admiral,  reddening  with  anger  and  mortification,  and  giving 
way  to  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  dealt  Corbaro  a  heavy 
blow  with  his  fist,  indignantly  exclaiming :  "  How  dare  you 
tJius  insult  me  !  Who  told  you  your  old  commander  was  ready  to 
turn  traitor  ?  "  Then  facing  the  crowd,  which  had  now  be- 
come so  dense  that,  "from  St.  Marks  to  San  Fantino,  there 
was  not  an  unoccupied  spot  of  ground  large  enough  to  hold 
a  grain  of  millet,"  and,  raising  his  voice  to  its  highest  pitch, 
he  called  out :  "  Let  him  who  loves  Pisani  cry  :  Long  live 
St.  Mark  and  the  Signory  !  "  The  people  obeyed  ;  and  Venice 
was  spared  the  horrors  of  an  intestine  strife,  which  must 
inevitably  have  led  to  its  capture  by  the  enemy,  to  whom  we 
will  now  return. 

Had  the  advice  of  the  Carrarese  general  been  followed, 
who,  after  the  taking  of  Chioggia,  desired  to  move  at  once 
upon  Venice,  it  seems  highly  probable  that  the  fall  of  the 
former  would  have  preceded  that  of  the  capital  by  only  a 
few  hours ;  but,  fortunately  for  the  republic,  Pietro  Doria, 
who  was  in  supreme  command,  was  not  possessed  of  talent 


110  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

either  as  an  admiral  or  a  general ;  and  he  wasted  two  whole 
days  in  useless  preparation  for  an  advance  upon  Malamocco, 
between  which  place  and  Chioggia  there  was  not  a  gun  nor 
a  man  to  oppose  him.  Arrived  at  last  at  Malamocco,  he  found 
the  Venetians  drawn  up  in  readiness  to  dispute  his  further 
progress  ;  when,  giving  up  all  idea  of  attempting  to  carry 
Venice  by  storm,  he  pitched  his  camp  where  he  stood,  and 
erected  a  battery  within  four  miles  of  the  Ducal  palace.  This 
was  as  near  as  he  ever  got  to  it ;  Pisani  and  St.  Mark  proved 
abler  tacticians  than  Doria  and  St.  George. 

Aroused  to  action  by  their  country's  peril,  the  artist  left 
his  studio,  the .  student  his  closet ;  the  courts  were  closed, 
and  judges  and  lawyers  were  seen  organizing  companies  of 
brawny  mechanics  and  laborers  to  go  to  the  front,  where 
Pisani  was  overseeing  everything  with  untiring  energy.  Two 
wooden  towers  raised  by  Giustianni,  on  either  side  of  the 
port  of  Lido,  were  demolished  as  worse  than  useless,  and  two 
stone  ones  were  directed  to  be  built  in  their  stead  ;  but  the 
masons  had  been  tampered  with,  and  no  one  stepped  forward 
to  obey  the  order  ;  so  Pisani  seized  a  trowel  himself,  and  crying 
out :  "  Let  him  who  loves  St.  Mark  follow  my  example  !  " 
he  laid  the  foundation  stones  with  his  own  hands.  A  murmur 
of  approbation  went  up  from  the  by-standers ;  and  in  another 
instant  a  thousand  strong  arms  were  at  work  upon  the  towers, 
which  were  actually  completed  in  four  days.  They  were 
mounted  with  cannon,  and  known  as  the  Castles  of  St. 
Andrew  and  St.  Nicholas.  Pisani's  next  work  Avas  to 
surround  the  city  with  a  double  wall;  and  when  this  was  done, 
he  felt  secure  against  every  enemy  but  famine,  whose  insidious 
attacks  now  began  to  be  felt  by  all  classes. 

The  allies  seem  not  to  have  comprehended  Pisani's  plans 
until  it  was  too  late  to  thwart  them,  when,  after  an  unsuc- 
cessful assault  upon  tlie  castles,  the  Carrarese  general  retired 
in  disgust,  and  marched  his  nien  home,  leaving  Doria,  who  had 
boasted  that  he  would  "  put  a  bit  in  the  mouths  of  the  horses 
of  St.  Mark,"  to  continue  the  siege  after  his  own  fashion.  Six 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  Ill 

weeks  later,  the  Genoese  withdrew  to  Chioggia;  where,  with 
thirty  thousand  men,  forty  galleys  and  some  eight  hundred 
boats,  he  concluded  to  await  the  fall  of  Venice  by  starvation, 
which  seemed  to  be  near  at  hand.  Pisani,  however,  now 
formed  the  bold  design  of  besieging  the  besiegers.  With  this 
intent,  he  procured  a  number  of  old  hulks ;  which,  on  the 
night  of  October  twenty-first,  he  put  in  charge  of  a  brave  and 
enterprising  officer,  named  Giovanni  Barberigo,  giving  him 
directions  to  tow  them  to  the  mouths  of  the  various  chan- 
nels and  canals,  leading  from  Chioggia,  and  there  sink  them, 
while  he  created  a  diversion  in  his  favor  by  landing  with  an 
army  at  Brondolo,  and  moving  upon  the  enemy's  works.  The 
whole  operation  was  completely  successful,  and  when  day 
dawned,  on  the  twenty-second,  Doria,  who  had  been  congrat- 
ulating himself,  upon  having  gained  a  great  victory,  because 
he  had  repelled  the  attack  of  Pisani,  discovered,  to  his  alarm 
and  chagrin,  that  he  had  been  completely  out-witted,  and 
was  in  fact  a  prisoner  within  his  own  fortifications,  having 
been  caught  '*  like  a  rat  in  a  trap  ;  "  for  the  hulks  being  sunk 
as  directed,  served  as  foundations  for  the  great  stones  with 
which  the  boats  used  in  towing  them  into  position  had  been 
freighted,  and  these  being  piled  upon  them,  layer  after  layer, 
and  firmly  cemented  with  mortar,  made  a  solid  barrier  across 
all  the  outlets  to  the  Adriatic.  The  Venetian  engineers  now 
erected  a  fort  at  Fossone,  which  they  called  the  Lova.  It  was 
directly  opposite  to  the  Convent  of  Brondolo,  which  Doria 
had  converted  into  a  fortress,  and  mounted  guns  of  the 
heaviest  calibre  known  at  that  day.  One  of  these,  the  "  Tre- 
visan,"  threw  a  stone  ball  weighing  195  lbs.,  and  a  second 
called  "  Victory  "  one  of  190  lbs.,  but  neither  could  he  dis- 
charged  oftener  than  once  in  tiventy-four  hours. 

Such,  however,  was  the  exposure  of  the  Venetians  dur- 
ing these  fatiguing  operations,  obliged,  as  they  often  were,  to 
work  knee-deep  in  water,  with  the  pitiless  winter  rains  beat- 
ing upon  their  heads,  such  their  suffering  from  the  pangs  of 
hunger,  that  a  fearful  malady  broke  out  in  their  camp,  and, 


112  IHE  FLEE2S  OF  THE  WORLD. 

weak  and  dispirited,  they  demanded  to  be  led  back  to  Venice. 

Pisani,  who  now  realized  the  fact  that  the  courage  and 
endurance  of  his  men  had  been  taxed  too  far,  sent  the  most 
urgent  messages  to  Zeno,  who  was  reported  to  be  not  far 
distant,  to  hurry  to  his  relief;  at  the  same  time  solemnly 
assuring  his  command  that,  if  the  Venetian  fleet  did  not 
make  its  appearance  by  the  1st  of  January,  he  would  on  that 
day  raise  the  siege  of  Chioggia. 

The  evening  of  December  31st  arrived,  and  "  in  twenty 
four  hours  it  was  to  be  decided  whether  a  state,  which, 
through  a  perspective  of  eleven  centuries,  could  look  back 
upon  the  rise  and  decay  of  so  many  empires,  should  retain  or 
should  renounce  its  independence." 

So  great  was  the  anxiety  of  Pisani,  that  he  passed  the 
whole  night  upon  the  battlements  of  Fort  Lova  eagerly  look- 
ing towards  the  sea. 

Daylight  came :  the  sky  was  unclouded  and  the  weather 
clear,  and  yet  nothing  was  to  be  seen  ;  and  despair  had  almost 
taken  possession  of  the  brave  admiral's  soul,  when  an  officer 
directed  his  attention  to  something  that  appeared  like  a  fleecy 
cloud,  on  the  distant  horizon.  Soon  another,  and  another 
cloud  came  into  view  ;  and  as  the  sun  rose  and  threw  his 
gilded  rays  upon  the  scene,  it  became  evident  that  the  clouds 
were  sails — sails  rising  grandly  over  stately  galleys,  manned 
by  stout  hearts,  and  guided  by  experienced  hands,  whose 
Venetian  nationality  was  proclaimed  by  the  proud  old  banner 
of  St.  Mark.  The  "  sea-gulls  "  had  flown  back  to  their  nest : 
Carlo  Zeno  was  at  hand  ;  and  "  Venice  the  Beautiful "  was 
saved ! 

Six  months  after  this,  the  enemy,  reduced  by  famine, 
made  an  unconditional  surrender  of  his  fleet  and  army,  with 
all  his  munitions  of  war — a  blow  from  which  Genoa  never 
recovered. 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  113 


PISANI  MAKES  A  CRUISE  TO  THE  COAST  OF  ASIA,  AND 
ON  HIS  RETURN  VOYAGE  FALLS  SICK,  AND  DIES  AT 
MANFREDONIA.     GREAT  MOURNING  AT  VENICE. 

Pisani  next  devoted  himself  to  fitting  out  the  Venetian 
fleet ;  and  on  the  3d  of  July,  left  Venice  with  forty-seven  ves- 
sels in  search  of  the  Genoese  admiral,  Gaspar  Spinola,  who 
was  cruising  in  the  East.  After  looking  for  him  in  vain  on 
the  coast  of  Asia,  he  concluded  that  Spinola  was  retracing 
his  steps  to  Genoa ;  and  thinking  it  more  than  probable  that 
on  his  way  thither  he  would  look  into  the  Adriatic,  he  deter- 
mined to  shape  a  course  for  Manfredonia,  that  he  might  be 
near  at  hand  should  danger  threaten  the  capital.  As  he 
approached  Manfredonia  he  became  seriously  ill,  and  although 
he  made  light  of  his  illness,  declaring  "it  was  only  a  bad 
cold,"  his  officers  became  alarmed  at  his  extreme  debility,  and 
the  flag-ship's  anchor  was  no  sooner  down  on  the  morning  of 
August  3d,  than  they  insisted  upon  carrying  him  to  the  house 
of  Guido  da  Fojan,  commandant  of  Manfredonia,  where  he 
was  a  tonce  put  to  bed,  and  attended  by  the  most  eminent 
physicians  of  the  place.  His  constitution,  however,  had  been 
greatly  impaired  by  overwork  in  the  service  of  his  country, 
even  before  the  battle  of  Pola,  and  his  three  months'  impris- 
onment, with  the  subsequent  ten  months'  labor  at  Mala- 
mocco,  and  in  the  trenches  before  Chioggia,  had  completely 
destroyed  it.  His  medical  advisers  counselled  perfect  repose 
of  mind  and  body,  but  his  restless  spirit  could  not  be  con- 
trolled ;  and  he  had  not  been  an  hour  on  shore  ere  he  dictated 
a  letter  to  the  Signory,  detailing  his  operations  since  his  de- 
parture from  Venice,  and  concluding  with  a  promise  "  to 
make  Genoa  rue  the  da}^  when  she  entered  upon  the  war  of 
Chioggia."  After  his  secretary  had  sealed  this  dispatch,  he 
called  for  water,  which  he  drank  with  feverish  eagerness.  He 
then  took  a  morsel  of  bread,  but  as  he  was  in  the  act  of  swal- 
lowing it,  he  became  deathly  pale,  gasped  convulsively  for 


114  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE   WORLD. 

breath,  with  a  violent  effort  threw  himself  from  the  bed  and 
stood  erect,  and  the  next  instant  fell  in  a  swoon  to  the  floor. 
His  attendants  hurried  to  his  assistance,  but  their  efforts  to 
revive  him  were  of  no  avail.  The  great  admiral  was  dead. 
His  remains,  after  embalmment,  were  conveyed  to  Venice, 
where  they  lay  in  state  for  many  days,  during  which  time  the 
Senate  was  convoked  and  passed  a  decree  "  that  a  public 
funeral  be  given  to  the  Great  Citizen."  On  the  day  of  his 
burial,  the  city  was  draped  in  mourning,  and  no  man  within 
its  precincts  covered  his  head  while  the  old  bell  of  St. 
Mark's  announced,  in  muffled  tones,  that  the  body  of  Vettore 
Pisani  was  being  conveyed  from  San  Fantino  to  the  church 
of  Saint  Anthony,  where  his  father's  ashes  already  reposed. 
As  the  funeral  cortege  was  leaving  San  Fantino,  several  per- 
sons called  out  that  the  remains  of  the  Saviour  of  Venice 
should  rest  nowhere  but  in  the  Ducal  Chapel.  The  proces- 
sion stopped:  the  crowd  took  up  the  cry,  and  a  tumult 
seemed  inevitable,  when  a  gray-haired  seaman,  one  of  twelve 
who  were  carrying  the  bier,  said  sadly,  while  the  tears  trickled 
down  his  weather-beaten  cheeks  :  "  Our  good  admiral  is 
far  above  all  earthly  honors  now.  We,  who  have  been  faith- 
ful to  him  even  unto  death,  are  carrying  him  to  his  father 
Saint  Anthony  :  in  his  arms  let  him  rest."  The  people 
acquiesced,  and  the  funeral  moved  on.  After  the  burial  ser- 
vice was  over,  the  citizens  gathered  in  knots  about  the  streets, 
bewailing  the  loss  they  had  sustained ;  and  Venice,  on  that 
day,  might  have  been  likened  to  Jerusalem  after  the  death  of 
Maccabeus,  when  all  the  people  wept  and  said :  "  Why  is 
that  great  man  dead,  who  saved  the  people  of  Israel  ?  "  A 
magnificent  mausoleum  was  erected  over  the  ancestral  vault 
at  San  Antonio  ;  upon  which  was  placed  a  statue  of  Pisani, 
habited  in  the  uniform  of  a  captain-general,  and  grasping  in 
his  right  hand  an  ensign  surmounted  by  a  cross. 

Such  were  the  death  and  burial,  such  the  honors  paid  to 
the  memory  of  Vettore  Pisani,  than  whom,  it  may  be  justly 
said,  Venice,  throughout  an  independent  existence  of  over  a 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  115 

thousand  years,  produced  no  greater  admiral,  no  better  man, 
Wliat  nobler  epitaph  could  a  sailor  desire  ? 

As  I  shall  have  no  more  sea-fights  between  the  Venetian 
and  the  Genoese  to  chronicle,  I  desire  briefly  to  call  the 
reader's  attention  here  to  the  masterly  manoeuvres  of  their 
great  admirals,  in  some  of  those  which  I  have  attempted  to 
describe.  At  the  battle  of  Constantinople,  for  instance, 
what  could  have  been  more  brilliant  than  Paganino  Doria's 
movement  to  cut  off  the  Grecian  vessels,  or  his  double-eche- 
lon formation,  in  his  effort  to  pierce  the  Venetian  line.  See 
him  again,  at  Portolongo  !  where,  with  unerring  judgment,  he 
decides  at  a  glance  that  there  is  room  enough  for  a  galley 
to  pass  between  the  Venetians  and  the  land,  taking  advan- 
tage of  which  he  gains  a  great  victory,  thereby  setting  an 
example  to  future  admirals,  which  possibly  the  inimitable 
Nelson  profited  by  at  Aboukir. 

What  a  magnificient  spectacle  of  good  order  and  disci- 
pline the  Venetian  fleet  presents  to  us  at  Cagliari,  going  into 
action  in  column  of  divisions  and  obliquing  to  the  right  and 
left,  with  the  precision  of  soldiers  on  parade ! — and  what 
could  be  finer  than  the  "  doubling  up  "  of  Fieschi  by  Vettore 
Pisani  at  Antium,  or  i\iQ  feint  of  Luciano  Doria,  and  the  tacti- 
cal ability  displayed  by  both  Pisani  and  himself  in  the  stub- 
born fight  off  Pola  ? 

Let  every  naval  student,  then,  study  carefully  the  con- 
test between  the  rival  republics,  well  assured  that  there  have 
been  no  abler  strategists  and  tacticians  than  the  old  Venetian 
and  Genoese  admirals,  and  perhaps  no  better  regulated  and 
organized  navy  than  that  of  the  "  City  by  the  Sea."* 

*  See  article  on  the  Venetian  Navy,  from  tlie  able  pen  of  John  Knox  Laughton, 
M.A.,  Naval  Instructor.  R.N.,  in  Fraser's  Magazine,  October,  1875. 


116  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 


FORCED  INTO  A  WAK  AGAINST  FRANCE,  SPAIN,  GER- 
MANY AND  THE  PETTY  ITALIAN  STATES,  BY  THE 
LEAGUE  OF  CAMBRAY,  VENICE  DEFENDS  HERSELF 
WITH  GREAT  SPIRIT,  BUT  IS  FINALLY  OBLIGED  TO 
CEDE  ROMAGNA  TO  THE  POPE. 

After  the  successful  termination  of  the  war  of  Chioggia, 
Venice  increased  rapidly  in  wealth  and  influence,  until,  at 
the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century,  she  had  acquired  so  great 
an  extent  of  territory  as  to  excite  the  envy  and  apprehen- 
sion of  all  the  other  Europ  an  powers  ;  which,  instigated  by 
Pope  Julian  the  Second,  notwithstanding  that  His  Holiness 
owed  his  elevation  mainly  to  the  Venetians,  united  in  that 
formidable  League  to  crush  "  the  great  republic^''  which 
was  signed  at  Cambray  on  the  10th  day  of  December,  1508. 
The  civilized  world  now  beheld  with  astonishment,  not  un- 
mingled  with  awe,  Venice  contending  single-handed,  yet 
undismayed,  against  the  combined  forces  of  France,  Ger- 
many, Spain  and  the  petty  Italian  States ;  and  at  the  same 
time  replying  with  spirit  and  dignity  to  the  bitter  fulmina- 
tions  of  the  Vatican.  The  Emperor  Maximillian,  at  the  head 
of  a  hundred  thousand  men,  besieged  Padua ;  the  King  of 
the  French  with  his  army  descended  like  a  mountain  torrent 
upon  Lombardy  ;  and  dispersed  throughout  the  rest  of  her 
territory,  at  various  strategical  points,  Venice  had  to  con- 
front the  soldiers  of  Spain  and  of  misguided  Italy,  which, 
hearkening  to  the  voice  of  the  tempter,  had  invited  the  rep- 
resentatives of  tyranny  to  invade  the  soil  that,  for  so  many 
centuries,  had  been  sacred  to  freedom. 

The  Venetian  army,  beaten  on  the  Adda,  yet  still  facing 
the  enemy  like  a  lion  at  bay,  retreated  slowly  and  sullenly 
upon  the  capital. 

The  main-land  was  lost,  but  not  the  love  of  its  inhabit- 
ants for  Venice  ;  and  so,  little  by  little,  after  the  first  shock 
of  war  had  passed,  the  republic  recovered  its  former  posses- 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  117 

sions,  with  the  exception  of  Romagna,  which,  upon  the  ter- 
mination of  hostilities,  it  was  obliged  to  cede  to  the  Pope 
forever,  in  order  to  obtain  the  revocation  of  his  infamous 
sentence  of  excommunication  against  her  citizens,  which  had 
produced  so  terrible  an  effect  upon  the  minds  of  the  vulgar 
in  Venice,  as  to  cause  the  Signory  to  apprehend  an  outbreak 
on  their  part  against  the  authorized  government  in  favor  of 
the  priesthood. 

The  republic  now  enjoyed  some  years  of  repose,  which 
were  devoted  to  the  embellishment  of  the  capital ;  and  the 
magnificent  private  dwellings  erected  there  about  this  period, 
are  looked  upon  with  admiration  by  the  traveller  of  the 
present  day,  rich  as  they  are  in  marbles,  painting  and  sculp- 
ture, in  curiously  carved  furniture,  walls  clothed  with  tapes- 
try, and  ceilings  adorned  with  frescoes  of  priceless  value. 

WAR  WITH  THE  TURKS.     FEARFUL  ATROCITIES  COMMIT- 
TED BY  THEM  IN  CYPRUS, 

But  a  more  terrible  enemy  than  any  with  which  Venice 
had  yet  contended  appeared  on  the  political  horizon  in  1566, 
in  the  person  of  Selim  11.,  the  youthful  Emperor  of  the 
Turks  —  that  barbarous  nation  which,  in  1453,  had  taken 
Constantinople  by  storm,  and  learning  there  the  sad  truth  that 
"  the  rapine  of  an  hour  is  more  productive  than  the  industry 
of  ye^-rs,"  had  assumed  the  aggressive  ever  since,  wresting 
from  the  republic  by  degrees  the  whole  of  the  Morea,  and 
now  demanding  from  her  the  cession  of  the  Island  of  Gj^prus 
(which  Selim  greatly  coveted)  as  the  price  of  peace. 

The  Signory,  which  had  for  some  time  been  pursuing  a 
temporizing  policy  towards  the  Turks,  of  which  this  demand 
was  the  legitimate  fruit,  now  resolutely  prepared  for  war, 
and  despatched  embassies  to  all  quarters  in  quest  of  aid. 

The  Christian  princes  of  Europe,  however,  lent  a  deaf 
ear  to  the  story  of  a  danger  menacing  them  from  the  distant 
Bosphorus,  and  coldly  turned  their  backs  upon  the  embassa- 


118  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

dors  of   a  power  which   they  had  always  hated  and  often 
feared. 

But,  fortunately  for  Christianity,  there  was  one  great 
man  among  them,  who  fully  sympathized  with  the  republic  in 
this  her  hour  of  need,  and  comprehended  clearly  that  as  Sicily, 
in  ages  gone  by,  had  served  as  a  breastwork  for  Italy  against 
the  advances  of  Carthage  from  the  west,  so  Venice  now  rose 
from  the  sea  as  its  bulwark  against  the  barbarians  approach- 
ing it  from  the  east. 

This  great  man  was  Pius  the  Fifth,  one  of  the  best  and 
ablest  pontiffs  that  ever  filled  the  apostle's  seat. 

Gifted  with  eloquence  and  discernment,  and  possessed  of 
an  enthusiastic  temperament  and  a  religious  fervor,  Avhich 
gave  to  all  he  uttered  the  force  of  inspiration,  his  opinions 
had  great  weight  with  Philip  the  Second  of  Spain,  whom  he 
now  earnestly  besought,  in  the  name  of  the  Holy  Catholic 
Church,  of  which  His  Majesty  was  so  distinguished  and  de- 
vout a  member,  not  to  be  a  passive  spectator  of  a  strife  that, 
unless  he  took  part  in  it,  must  inevitably  result — to  the  shame 
of  Christendom  —  in  the  triumph  of  the  Moslem  over  a 
neighboring  Christian  State. 

Thus  urged,  Philip,  who,  it  is  probable,  foresaw  on  his 
part  that  the  establishment  of  the  naval  supremacy  of  the 
Turks  un  Mediterranean,  would  endanger  the  safety  of  every' 
Spanish  colony  inside  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  and  even  of 
the  maritime  districts  of  Spain  itself,  filled  as  they  then  were, 
with  disaffected  Moriscoes,  readily  consented  to  unite  with 
Venice  and  His  Holiness  in  an  effort  to  check  their  further 
encroachments ;  provided  the  League  was  considered  as  bind- 
ing against  the  Moors  also,  the  inveterate  enemies  of  Spain. 
This  coalition  was  formally  announced  from  the  chair  of  St. 
Peter  in  1570,*  and  resulted,  during  the  following  year,  in 
the  great  battle  of  Lepanto,  where  the  Christian  called  out 

*  Prescottsays  :  "Although  a  draft  of  the  treaty  had  been  prepared  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  preceding  year,  it  was  not  ratified  until  1571 ;  but  La  Fuente  (vol. 
7,  p.  265)  mentions  two  distinct  treaties,  one  made  in  1570,  and  the  other  in  1571." 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  119 

to  the  Moslem  from  the  midst  of  the  sea,  as  he  had  declared 
to  him  eight  centuries  earlier  from  the  centre  of  France : 
Either  shalt  thou  come^  hut  no  farther ;  and  here  shall  thy 
proud  course  he  stayed! 

But,  in  order  that  the  characters  in  this  great  naval 
drama  may  be  properly  brought  upon  the  scene  of  action,  it 
is  necessary  that  a  resume  of  the  events  immediately  pre- 
ceding it  should  be  first  presented  to  the  reader. 

The  conquest  of  Cyprus  was  resolved  upon  by  Selim,  ac- 
cording to  La  Fuente,  from  the  moment  he  succeeded  to  the 
throne  of  his  father,  as  an  enterprise  worthy  of  the  son  of 
the  Great  Solyman ;  and  this,  no  doubt,  was  the  ground 
upon  which  this  conquest  was  urged  upon  him  by  the  com- 
mander-in-chief of  his  army,  the  infamous  Mustafa ;  for  it  is 
the  very  language  flattery  would  use  in  addressing  a  youth- 
ful sovereign  ;  but  as  Selim,  brought  up  in  the  seraglio,  al- 
though fully  imbued  with  the  thirst  of  military  glory,  was 
not  possessed  of  the  warlike  spirit  which  had  prompted  his 
ancestors  to  lead  their  armies  to  battle,  and  was  so  addicted 
to  the  wine-cup  withal,  notwithstanding  its  prohibition  by 
the  law  of  Mohammed,  as  to  have  been  nick-named  by  his 
subjects  the  "  wine-bibber  "  and  "the  inebriate," — we  can- 
not but  think  with  Hammer,  that  the  wines  of  Cyprus  acted 
as  a  powerful  stimulant  to  the  ambition  of  the  young  Sultan  ; 
and  we  are  not,  therefore,  disposed  to  pass  over  in  silence 
the  remarkable  tale  told  by  him,  in  his  history  of  the  Otto- 
man Empire,  of  the  influence  exercised  by  a  certain  Joseph 
Nassy  in  bringing  about  the  war  of  Cyprus  and  the  events 
consequent  thereon,  which  is,  in  substance,  as  follows : — 

During  the  lifetime  of  his  father,  Selim  conceived  a  great 
friendship  for  a  Jew  named  Joseph  Nassy,  a  pretended  con- 
vert to  Mohammedanism,  who  was  in  the  habit  of  making 
him  rich  presents  of  wine  and  money,  "  thus  giving  the 
young  Prince  a  taste  for  the  ducats  of  Venice  and  the  wines 
of  Cyprus;"  and  one  day,  when  the  two  boon  companions 
had  indulged  for  many  hours  in  the  pleasures  of  the  table. 


120  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD, 

Selim  rose,  staggering  to  his  feet,  and  holding  np  his  glass 
to  the  light,  exclaimed :  "  By  the  great  Prophet !  when  I 
come  to  the  kingdom,  I  will  take  possession  of  the  island 
which  produces  this  rare  nectar;  and  you,  Nassy,  shall  be 
the  governor  of  the  island,  and  have  charge  of  its  vine- 
yards." 

The  acquisition  of  Cyprus,  then — from  whatever  cause — 
being  now  resolved  upon,  it  was  not  difficult  for  a  govern- 
ment which  maintained  that,  wherever  a  mosque  had  once 
been  erected,  there  the  standard  of  Mohammed  should  fly 
forever,  to  trump  up  a  claim  to  that  island  which  had  been 
formerly  in  the  hands  of  the  Saracens.  Besides,  although 
the  Ottoman  Empire  was  at  peace  with  the  republic,  it  had 
long  been  held  as  a  maxim  with  the  former  that  no  treaty  of 
peace  should  be  considered  as  binding  upon  it  whose  rupture 
would  enlarge  the  bounds  of  Islamism,  and  redound  to  the 
glory  of  the  Sultan. 

In  honor  of  the  Prophet,  too,  a  magnificent  fcemple  was  in 
process  of  erection  at  Adrianopolis,  to  which  the  revenues 
of  Cyprus  were  to  be  appropriated.  So  the  demand  for 
the  cession  of  the  island  to  Turkey  was  made,  as  we  have 
seen,  and  great  was  the  rejoicing  at  Constantinople  at  its 
indignant  rejection  by  the  Venetians ;  for  the  Turks,  at  that 
period,  were  a  nation  of  military  fanatics,  delighting  in 
nothing  but  war,  and  especially  in  war  with  those,  of  what- 
ever nation  they  might  be,  who  inscribed  on  their  banners  the 
sacred  emblem  of  the  Crucifixion. 

A  force  of  fifty  thousand  infantry  and  artillery,  under  the 
command  of  Mustafa,  was  soon  landed  in  Cyprus,  and  laid 
siege  to  Nicosia,  its  capital,  striking  terror  within  its  walls ; 
a  squadron  of  Turkish  infantry,  scouring  the  roads  in  all 
directions,  spread  havoc  and  desolation  through  the  country 
far  and  wide  ;  while  a  fleet  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  gal- 
leys, whose  admiral  was  the  Bashaw  Piali,  one  of  the  in- 
stigators of  this  war,  entirely  encircled  the  island,  cutting  off 
all  hope  of  succor  from  without. 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  121 

Nicosia  fell,  after  an  obstinate  resistance,  on  the  13tli 
of  September,  1570 ;  and  in  August  of  the  following  year, 
Famagusta  capitulated,  after  a  protracted  siege,  during  which 
the  most  heroic  valor  was  displayed  on  both  sides ;  for  it 
had  withstood  six  general  assaults,  and  buried  fifty  thousand 
Turks  beneath  the  ruins  of  its  levelled  walls  :  while,  of  the 
Christian  garrison  within  it,  one-half  had  perished,  either  by 
famine  or  the  sword. 

The  accounts  given  us  of  the  cruelty  of  Mustafa,  after 
the  reduction  of  Famagusta,  towards  those  officers  who  had 
stood  foremost  in  its  defense,  would  be  deemed  incredible, 
were  they  not  attested  by  numberless  authorities,  whose 
evidence  is  indisputable. 

The  Seraskier^  it  seems,  had  expressed  a  wish  to  become 
personally  acquainted  with  these  gallant  men,  and  sent  them 
a  message  to  this  effect,  adding  that  he  should  feel  compli- 
mented if  they  would  make  him  a  call  of  friendship. 

To  this  kindly  summons  Marco  Antonio  Bragadino,  the 
former  military  governor  of  the  city,  General  Baglioni, 
Colonel  Martinego,  and  a  young  artillery  officer,  named 
Quirini,  at  once  responded,  by  making  their  appearance  at 
the  Turkish  head-quarters,  dressed  in  full  uniform,  and  wear- 
ing their  swords,  which  they  had  been  permitted  as  a  special 
mark  of  honor  to  retain. 

Mustafa  received  his  visitors  graciously,  and  courteously 
asked  them  to  be  seated  by  his  side. 

Soon,  however,  a  dispute  arose  between  him  and  Braga- 
dino, in  relation  to  one  of  the  articles  of  Capitulation,  which 
Bragadino  accused  him  of  being  about  to  break.  "Wretch  !" 
cried  the  enraged  Turk,  springing  hastily  to  his  feet,  "  have 
you  forgotten  that  I  am  the  conqueror,  and  you  the  con- 
quered ?  A  slave  must  learn  to  be  respectful  to  his  master !  " 
As  he  spoke,  he  made  a  sign  to  his  guards,  and,  almost 
simultaneously,  three  naked  scimetars  flashed  before  the  eyes 
of  the  astonished  governor,  and  three  Christian  heads  rolled 
upon  the  rich  carpet  at  his  feet. 
9 


122  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Then,  with  a  cynical  smile  upon  his  sallow  face,  Mustafa 
bade  him  look  upon  the  quivering  trunks  of  his  comrades, 
and  rest  assured  that  theirs  was  a  happy  fate  in  comparison 
with  that  which  awaited  him. 

Accordingly,  Bragadino's  nose  and  ears  were  cut  off ;  and 
in  this  pitiable  condition  he  was  obliged,  for  ten  days,  to 
labor  like  a  beast  of  burden,  in  carrying  earth  to  one  of  the 
bastions  of  the  surrendered  city,  which  the  Turks  were  already 
engaged  in  repairing.  While  thus  employed,  each  time  that 
he  passed  Mustafa,  who  took  pains  to  put  himself  in  his  way, 
he  was  forced  to  bow  his  head,  until  his  lips  touched  the 
ground.  Finally,  after  being  tortured  in  various  other  ways, 
he  was  lashed  to  the  slave's  whipping-post,  and  flayed  alive. 

His  skin  was  then  stuffed  with  straw  *  and  carried 
in  derision  through  the  streets  of  Famagusta  and  the  camp 
under  a  red  umbrella,  which,  among  the  Turks,  is  the 
symbol  of  power  and  dignity,  while  his  head,  severed  from 
'his  body,  and  placed  in  a  box  with  the  heads  of  Baglioni, 
Mastinego  and  Quirini,  was  sent  as  a  present  to  the  Sultan. 
A  tablet  in  the  Church  of  St.  John  and  St.  Paul,!  at  Venice, 
commemorates  the  virtues,  the  heoric  bravery,  and  the  sad 
fate  of  the  Christian  warriors,  over  which  many  a  tear  has 
been  shed  by  their  tender-hearted  countrymen.  But  the 
"deep  damnation  of  their  taking  off"  will  cling  to  the 
memory  of  Mustafa,  and  awaken  a  feeling  of  detestation  for 
his  character  in  every  generous  breast, — whether  of  Christian 
or  of  Moslem, — until  time  shall  be  no  more ;  for  even  the 
false  law  which  taug^ht  him  to  make  war  agrainst  all  those 


*  Que  su  piel,  relleno  del  heno,  fiiera  passeada  por  el  campo  y  la  ciudad  bajo 
el  mismo  qnitasol  encarnado  que  habia  llevado  la  tarde  que  se  presento  a  Mustafa 
etc.,  etc.  Le  Fueute,  p.  273.  Pellem  que  caruifices  misero  detraxisseiit,  eampaleis 
Btramineque  repletara,  etc.,  etc. — Stufano. 

t  San  Giovaiii  e  Pablo.  Here  also  is  the  urn  of  the  heroic  Marc  Antonio  Bragadiiio, 
the  champion  and  martyr  of  Cyprus  ;  containing  his  skin  ransomed  by  his  family  at 
enormous  cost  from  the  Moslem. 

Flagg  vol.  1st,  page  140,  La  Fuente,  vol.  7,  page  237. 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD. 


123 


who  were  accounted  enemies  of  the  Prophet,  yet  bade  him 
"be  merciful  to  the  suppliant  and  the  vanquished." 

With  the  taking  of  Famagusta,  the  Turks  remained  mas- 
ters of  Cyprus. 

This  enabled  the  Porte  to  give  its  undivided  attention  to 
the  fitting  out  of  a  great  fleet,  which,  as  soon  as  it  was  fully 
equipped  in  every  particular,  sailed  from  the  Golden  Horn 
in  quest  of  that  of  the  Holy  League,  now  gathering  reinforce- 
ments from  all  directions,  and  preparing,  under  the  invincible 
Don  Juan  of  Austria,  to  bring  the  infidel  to  a  decisive  action. 


BATTLE  OF  LEPANT0*. 


Don  Juan  l«ft  Barcelona  for  Messina,  which  had  been 
assigned  as  the  rendezvous  of  the  Christian  forces,  on  the 
20th  of  July,  1571,  and,  on  the  9tli  of  August,  put  into 
Naples,  where  Cardinal  Granvelle  presented  to  him  the  great 
banner  blessed  by  the  Pope,  which  as  Generalissimo  of  the 
I^eague,  he  was  to  hoist  at  the  masthead  of  his  royal  galley. 

The  presentation  took  place  in  the  chapel  of  the  Francis- 
can convent  of  Santa  Chiara,  amid  as  brilliant  a  concourse  of 
k:nights  and  nobles  as  had  ever  been  gathered  together. 

"  It  was  a  striking  scene,"  says  Prescott,  "  pregnant  with 
matter  for  meditation  to  those  who  gazed  on  it. 

"  For  what  could  be  more  striking  than  the  contrast  afford- 
ed by  these  two  individuals ;  the  one  in  the  morning  of  life, 
his  eye  kindling  with  hope  and  generous  ambition  as  he 
looked  into  the  future,  and  prepared  to  tread  the  path  of 
glory  under  auspices  as  bright  as  ever  attended  any  mortal ; 
the  other  drawing  near  to  the  evening  of  his  day,  looking  to 
the  past  rather  than  the  future,  with  pale  and  thoughtful 
brow,  as  of  one  who,  after  many  a  toilsome  day  and  sleepless 

*  Although  this  battle  is  known  in  history  as  the  battle  of  Lepanto,  it  was  really 
fought  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gulf  of  Patras,  on  the  northern  shore  of  which,  about 
eight  miles  from  port  Petala,  the  Christian  left  rested. 


124  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

night,  had  achieved  the  proud  eminence  for  which  his  com- 
panion was  panting  and  had  found  it  barren." 

Sailing  from  Naples  on  the  21st  of  August,  Don  Juan 
reached  Messina  on  the  25th,  where  he  found  the  Papal  and 
Venetian  fleets  anxiously  awaiting  him. 

The  former,  although  it  consisted  of  but  eighteen  vessels, 
was  in  admirable  order,  and  gave  promise  of  good  service  on 
the  day  of  battle,  but  the  latter  presented  a  slovenly  appear- 
ance, indicative  of  a  want  of  discipline,  and  greatly  disap- 
pointed the  expectations  Don  Juan  had  formed  of  the  arma- 
ments of  the  ancient  Queen  of  the  Adriatic. 

His  disgust  may  be  gathered  from  a  letter  written  by  him 
on  the  30th  of  August  to  Don  Garcia  de  Toledo,  former 
Viceroy  of  Sicily,  in  which,  after  speaking  of  various  matters 
and  asking  Don  Garcia's  advice  in  relation  to  some  of  them, 
he  says :  "  I  must  add  that  the  Venetians  are  badly  fitted  and 
equipped,  and,  worse  than  all,  there  is  no  order  or  discipline 
among  them,  every  captain  of  a  galley  doing  just  what  pleases 
him  best ;  a  nice  condition  of  things,  truly,  when  one  reflects 
that  it  is  in  their  cause  we  are  about  to  do  battle."  Finding, 
in  addition  to  their  other  defects,  that  the  Venetian  vessels 
were  poorly  manned,  Don  Juan  incorporated  with  their  crews 
several  battalions  of  Spanish  infantry,  a  measure  which  gave 
great  offence  to  Veniero,  the  Venetian  admiral,  and  laid  the 
foundation  for  a  serious  difficulty  that  afterwards  occurred 
between  him  and  Don  Juan,  which,  but  for  the  intercession 
of  Colonna,  the  Pope's  admiral,  might  have  been  productive 
of  evil  consequences  to  the  Venetians. 

By  the  fifth  of  September,  the  various  contingents  of  the 
powers  engaged  in  this  new  crusade  against  the  Mussulmans 
had  arrived  and  taken  their  places  in  the  divisions  to  which 
they  were  assigned,  and  Odescalco,  the  Pope's  legate,  in  the 
name  of  His  Holiness,  conferred  upon  all  the  Christian  war- 
riors special  blessings  and  dispensations,  conceding  to  them 
the  same  favors  and  indulgences  as  had  been  conceded  in 
former  times  to  the  defenders  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD, 


125 


Officers,  soldiers  and  sailors  now  confessed,  and  received 
absolution,  and  the  great  fleet,  lightened  of  its  sins,  prepared 
to  take  its  leave ;  but  owing  to  bad  weather,  it  did  not  get 
away  from  Messina  until  the  sixteenth  of  the  month. 

Odescalco  watched  it  from  one  of  the  balconies  of  the 

convent  where  he  was  lodging,  till  the  last  sail  disappeared 

foelow  the  eastern  horizon,  when  he  hastened  to  Rome  to 

fgive  information  of  its  departure  to  his  master,  who  was 

[anxiously  and  impatiently  awaiting  the  tidings. 

Reaching  Corfu  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  Sei)tember,  the 
confederates  remained  there  two  days,  and  on  the  twenty- 
eighth  again  put  to  sea,  bound  to  Cephalonia,  where  they 
anchored  on  the  first  of  October. 

Here  news  reached  them  of  the  fall  of  Famagusta,  and 
of  the  horrible  atrocities  committed  by  Mustafa ;  and  bitter 
were  the  imprecations  heaped  upon  the  Seraskier's  head  by 
the  whole  Christian  host,  but  most  especially  by  the  Ven- 
etians, who  made  many  a  solemn  vow  to  avenge  their  slaugh- 
tered countrymen. 

Before  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  seventh,  Don  Juan 
^ot  under  way,  and  about  sunrise,  as  the  van  of  the  allied 
forces,  led  by  the  Genoese  admiral,  Andrea  Doria,*  was 
rounding  the  island  of  Oxia,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gulf  of 
Patras,  it  suddenly  came  in  sight  of  the  Turkish  fleet  stand- 
ing toward  it,  and  signalled  its  approach  to  Don  Juan,  who 
at  once  ordered  a  gun  to  be  fired  from  his  flag-ship — an  an- 
nouncement to  the  Christians  of  the  proximity  of  the  foe, 
and  of  the  determination  of  their  youthful  admiral  to  bring 
him  to  action. 

The  sacred  banner  of  the  League  was  now  given  to  the 
breeze  and  forthwith  confronted  by  that  of  the  Prophet, 
waving  above  the  flag-ship  of  the  Bashaw  Ali,  the  Turkish 
Grand- Admiral,  and  both  commanders-in-chief  began  actively 
to  marshal  their  forces  for  the  coming  engagement. 

*  This  was  Gran- Andrea  Doria,  a  nephew  and  namesake  of  the  celebrated  admiral 
whom  Barbarossa  had  defeated  in  the  Gulf  of  Ambracio,  about  thirty  years  before. 


126  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

While  this  was  going  on,  some  of  the  division  commanders, 
on  both  sides,  endeavored  to  dissuade  their  leaders  from  giv- 
ing battle. 

On  the  part  of  the  Tui-ks  it  was  urged,  not  unwisely, 
that  the  conquest  of  Cyprus,  just  completed,  should  not  now 
be  left  to  tlie  hazard  of  an  hour.  "  The  allies,"  they  argued, 
"have  here  assembled  the  most  powerful  Christian  fleet  that 
has  ever  been  seen  in  the  Mediterranean.  "  If  left  to  them- 
selves they  will  quarrel  and  separate,  as  on  former  occasions, 
and  may  then  safely  be  attacked  in  detail." 

But  Ali  was  young  and  ambitious  of  fame  ;  and  although, 
it  is  said,  his  countenance  fell  when  he  beheld  the  whole 
extent  of  the  Christian  flieet,  which  he  had  been  led  to  believe 
much  inferior  to  bis  own,  yet  he  masked  his  fears — if,  indeed, 
he  had  any — ^under  a  forced  smile,  and  cried,  with  real  or 
affected  cheerfulness :  "  O  commanders  of  the  Faithful,  this 
night  we  shall  either  have  conquered  the  unbelievers,  or  be 
supping  with  the  houris  in  Paradise  I  '  To  God  we  belong, 
to  God  we  must  return  ' — what  matters  it  ?" 

On  the  other  hand,  Don  Juan,  who  had  the  good  sense  to 
see  that  it  was  no  longer  possible  for  either  party  to  avoid  an 
engagement,  addressed  his  would-be  advisers  in  a  few  pithy 
sentences :  "  Repair  to  your  vessels,  gentlemen,"  said  he, 
"  and  encourage  all  under  you  to  fight  courageously.  The 
enemy  is  in  our  front  and  a  narrow  sea  behind.  We  have, 
therefore,  neither  the  time  nor  the  place,  now,  for  further 
deliberation."  ^  Then,  observing  that  the  upper  parts  of  the 
beaks  of  his  galleys,  which  projected  far  above  and  beyond 
their  prows  and  served  for  ornament  rather  than  for  use, 
interfered  with  the  full  sweep  of  his  artillery,  he  directed 
that  they  should  be  sawed  off,  and  at  the  same  time,  ordered 
the  trumpets  of  the  whole  fleet  to  sound  the  call  to  quarters. 

In  truth,  God  willed  that  this  fearful  battle  should  be 
fought ;  and  each  chief  was  impelled  to  it  not  less  myste- 
riously, it  would  appear, — for  each  was  led  to  seek  for  the 
other  by  false  reports  of  his  adversary's  strength  and  condition 


I 


A'^y. «'.' 


i      \  ^ 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  127 

— than  was  Alaric  to  the  capture  of  Rome  by  that  weird 
voice  which,  he  averred,  ever  whispered  in  his  ear :  "  Go  and 
destroy  the  capital  of  the  Caesars  ! " 

The  forces  of  the  combatants  are  so  variously  given  that 
it  is  difficult  to  form  a  correct  estimate  of  them.  The  Turks 
seem  to  have  had  about  two  hundred  and  seventy  vessels, 
the  Christians  some  thirty  less ;  but  this  disparity  of  numbers, 
the  latter  more  than  made  up  by  the  greater  size  of  six  of 
their  ships,  called  galleasses,  which  not  only  carried  guns  on 
their  poops  and  forecastles,  as  did  the  galleys,  but  also  in 
broadside. 

This  rendered  them  extremely  formidable,  and  they  no 
doubt  contributed  mainly  to  the  defeat  of  the  Turks,  a  fact 
which  the  majority  of  Spanish  historians,  in  their  too  evident 
desire  to  exalt  national  and  individual  prowess,  have  studious- 
ly ignored. 

In  'personnel.,  the  Turks  were  numerically  the  superiors, 
their  force  being  nowhere  stated  at  less  than  one  hundred 
thousand  men,  while  that  of  the  Christians  was  but  little 
over  eighty  thousand. 

But  it  was  a  great  element  of  weakness  with  the  former  that 
their  vessels  were  impelled  by  Christian  captives  chained 
to  the  oar,  enfeebled  by  scant  diet,  and  not  only  dispirited, 
but  doubtless  made  sullen  and  refractory  by  blows  and  other 
abuse  ;  and  although  Ali,  with  the  generosity  natural  to  him, 
for  even  his  enemies  speak  of  him  as  a  man  of  humane  dis- 
position and  of  true  greatness  of  soul — promised  them  their 
liberty  if  he  should  prove  to  be  the  victor  in  the  fight,  thus 
"  inspiring  them  with  a  momentary  enthusiasm  for  his  cause  ;" 
yet  it  would  have  been  strange  if  sundry  misgivings  had  not 
possessed  him  as  his  eye  glanced  upon  the  opposing  galleys, 
rowed  chiefly,  as  he  well  knew,  by  men  in  the  vigor  of  health 
and  manhood,*  who  had  been  taught  from  their  infancy  to 

*  On  this  occasion  a  large  number  of  the  oarsmen  in  the  Christian  fleet  were 
volunteers,  and  not  the  ordinary  galley  slaves,  while  all,  it  must  be  remembered, 
were  Christians. 


128  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

abhor  all  the  various  followers  of  the  Prophet  who  were  here 
gathered  together  under  the  bloodstained  flag  of  Stamboul. 

And  to  some  ill-defined  foreboding  of  evil,  may  surely  be 
ascribed  the  shade  of  sadness  which  is  said  to  have  rested  on 
his  face  during  the  whole  time  he  was  resolutely  preparing 
for  action,  even  while  he  smiled. 

And  now  each  fleet  was  in  order  of  battle,  in  the  form  of 
a  half  moon  with  its  horns  in  advance. 

On  the  right  of  the  Christians  was  the  famous  Doria,  with 
some  sixty  Sicilian,  Genoese  and  Maltese  galleys  ;  on  the  left 
the  proveditore  Barbarigo,  with  a  like  number  of  Venetians, 
while  the  centre,  or  battle^  as  it  was  then  called,  composed  of 
eighty  of  "  the  best  vessels  that  had  ever  been  built,"  was  led 
by  Don  Juan  himself,  with  the  great  Colonna  on  his  right 
hand  and  the  veteran  Venieroon  his  left,  who,  notwithstand- 
ing his  disagreement  with  his  commander-in-chief,  seconded 
him  on  this  occasion,  loyally  and  well,  thus  setting  the  seal  of 
honor  upon  a  long  life  devoted  to  the  service  of  his  country. 

The  reserve  of  thirty-six  vessels  was  conducted  by  the 
chivalric  Don  Alvaro  de  Bazan,  marquis  of  Santa  Cruz ; 
and  just  astern  of  the  Real — the  designation  then  given  to 
the  ship  of  a  Spanish  admiral-in-chief — was  Don  Juan's  old 
preceptor  in  the  art  of  war,  Don  Luis  de  Requesens,  com- 
mander of  Castile. 

The  battle  of  the  Turkish  fleet  consisted  of  ninety-six  ves- 
sels, of  which  the  right  centre  was  led  by  Ali,  the  left  centre 
by  the  Bashaw  Pertew. 

The  right  wing  was  intrusted  to  Mehemet  Sirocco, 
Viceroy  of  Alexandria ;  the  left  to  the  Calabrian  renegade, 
Uluch  Ali,  Dey  of  Algiers. 

In  rear  of  the  battle  was  a  strong  reserve  ^  commanded 
by  Amurath  Dragut,  an  officer  of  approved  capacity,  exper- 
ience and  valor. 

When  the  two  fleets-  had  approached  within  a  mile  of  each 
other  they  ceased  rowing  in  mutual  admiration.  ^ 

For  the  day  was  bright  and  beautiful.     Not  a  cloud  dis- 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD. 


129 


turbed  the  repose  of  the  blue  sky  above,  nor  a  solitary  ripple 
that  of  the,  placid  waters  below,  and  the  mid-day  sun  shone 
with  resplendent  lustre  upon  Lance,  and  shield,  and  scimetar 
— upon  glittering  breast-plates  and  hehnets  of  burnished  steel. 

The  great  banner  of  the  League  with  its  piteous  crucifix, 
at  the  foot  of  which  were  to  be  seen  the  arms  of  Venice, 
Spain  and  the  Pope,  bound  together  by  an  endless  chain,  was. 
not  more  conspicuous  than  the  green  standard  of  the  Pro- 
phet, all  covered  with  verses  from  the  Koran,  in  letters  of 
silver  and  gold. 

The  red  flag  of  the  corsairs  of  Algiers,  with  its  hateful  de- 
vice, the  head  of  the  fierce  Hali,^  son-in-law  of  Mohammed 
and  the  dreaded  enemy  of  all  the  Christians  of  his  day,  was 
well  met  by  that  of  the  knights  of  Saint  John,  whose  pre- 
sence on  the  battlefield  was  ever  a  terror  to  their  foes. 

And  along  the  whole  infidel  line  the  ancient  Byzantine 
crescent,  now  appropriated  by  the  Turk,  and  suggestive  of 
devastation  and  death,  was  nobly  opposed  by  the  pure,  white 
cross,  inscribed  on  every  banner  in  its  front,  teaching  the 
story  of  the  life  to  come. 

A  gun  was  fired  by  Ali  and,  as  if  aroused  from  slumber 
by  its  report,  the  Christian  fleet  began  to  move,  and  opening 
from  the  wings  and  centre,  unmasked  its  six  leviathans — for 
such  the  Venetian  galleasses  must  have  appeared  to  the 
eyes  of  the  astounded  moslimim — which,  passing  through  the 
gaps  left  for  them,  now  rowed  slowly  and  majestically  for- 
ward until  they  had  got  a  half  mile  in  advance,  when  they 
lay  on  their  oars,  while  the  vessels  that  had  made  way  for 
them  resumed  their  stations,  and  the  line  was  closed  as  before. 

Then  a  deafening  cheer  arose  from  the  whole  Christian 
front,  followed  by  cries  of  bitter  reproach  and  insult  to  the 
Moslem;  yet,  not  for  this  did  the  Turks,  who  were  already 
in  motion,  cease  for  a  moment  in  their  career. 

On  the  contrary,  brandishing  their  ^weapons,  and  striking 
their  shields  together,  after  the  manner  of  their  remote  an- 
cestors when  engaged  in  battle,  they  replied  to  the  taunts  of 


130  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

their  enemies  with  loud  shouts  of,  G-od  is  great  !  Mohammed 
is  his  Prophet  !  and,  urging  their  galleys  to  their  utmost  speed, 
advanced  steadily  and  in  splendid  order  to  the  encounter. 

Their  extreme  right,  piloted  by  a  Genoese  renegade,  who 
knew  the  soundings  of  every  foot  of  the  Gulfs  of  Patras  and 
Lepanto  as  an  astronomer  knows  the  stars,  boldly  dashed 
through  a  narrow  and  intricate  passage  ^  between  two 
coral  reefs,  over  which  the  sea  was  even  then  breaking,  and 
assailed  the  Venetians  in  flank,  while  Uluch  Ali,  rapidly 
extending  toward  the  left,  endeavored  to  turn  the  Christian 
right. 

Foiled  in  this  by  his  adversar}',  the  descendant  of  a  long 
line  of  distinguished  admirals,  and  himself  the  most  experi- 
enced of  the  Christian  commanders,  the  redoubtable  corsair, 
who  well  deserved  the  name  afterward  bestowed  upon  him  by 
the  Sultan,  of  Al  Kilich,  or  the  Scimetar,  made  directly  for 
the  Maltese  galleys,  which  during  the  manoeuvring  necessary 
to  prevent  the  flank  being  turned,  had  become  widely  sepa- 
rated from  their  consorts,  and  sinking  some  of  them  and  dis- 
abling others,  carried  off  their  largest  vessel  in  triumph. 

Then,  passing  through  the  line  and  attacking  it  in 
rear,  he  forced  Don  Alvaro  de  Bazan  with  all  his  strength,  to 
hasten  to  the  relief  of  the  out-numbered  and  overpoAvered 
Genoese,  whose  vessels,  sorely  beset  on  all  sides  by  the  Alge- 
rines,  were  fast  falling  into  infidel  hands. 

While  such  was  the  success  of  the  Turks  on  the  left,  on 
the  right,  where  they  had  commenced  the  fight  under  such 
favorable  auspices,  fortune  was  preparing  to  set  her  face 
against  them  ;  for  the  proveditore^  far  from  being  dismayed 
by  the  approach  of  his  enemies  through  a  channel  which  his 
o^-n  pilots  had  told  him  was  impracticable,  ordered  his  flank- 
ing squadron  to  make  a  half-wheel  to  the  left,  in  readiness  to 
receive  them ;  while  he  himself,  with  his  remaining  squa- 
drons, advanced,  in  unbroken  line,  to  attack  Mehemet  Siroc- 
co, who  had  opened  a  tremendous  fire  on  his  front. 

For  three  long  hours  the  battle  was  carried  on,  in  this 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  131 

quarter,  in  the  most  vindictive  spirit  by  both  parties,  while 
the  old  lion  of  St.  Mark,  restlessly  impelled  by  the  breeze  to 
and  fro,  above  Barbarigo's  head,  glared  fiercely  down  upon 
the  crocodile,  whose  distended  jaws  serve'd  as  a  beak  for  the 
Egyptian  Viceroy's  galley.  The  fight  between  the  flag-ships 
was  sustained  with  equal  valor  on  both  sides,  and  each  Ad- 
miral was  gallantly  supported  by  all  the  vessels  of  his  com- 
mand ;  but,  Barbarigo  falling  to  the  deck,  pierced  through 
the  eye  by  an  arrow,  the  crews  of  his  vessels  become  dis- 
heartened, and,  disregarding  the  remonstrances  and  threats 
of  their  officers,  prepare  to  strike  their  flags  to  the  Egypt- 
ians. 

The  cry  for  a  surrender  has  passed  from  ship  to  ship,  and, 
in  a  few  moments,  on  the  left  as  on  the  extreme  right,  the 
cross  will  cease  to  fly  in  presence  of  the  crescent.  What 
hope  then  of  saving  the  Christian  centre  ? 

"  Christ  will  descend  to  save  his  people"!  ^  cries  an 
Italian  friar,  who,  holding  aloft  the  crucifix,  opposes  his 
single  person  to  the  hosts  of  Egyptians  now  pouring  aboard 
of  their  fancied  prize — the  Venetian  flag-ship. 

A  hundred  arquebusses  are  levelled  at  his  breast — a 
hundred  scimetars  flash  above  his  head  ;  but  lo  !  unscathed, 
he  still  remains,  erect,  waving  the  holy  symbol  high  in  air. 
Encouraged  by  the  miracle.,  the  Christians  now  furiously  turn 
upon  their  assailants,  while  the  Turks,  seized  with  mortal 
terror,  first  waver,  then  fly  ?  Sirocco  and  his  chief  captains 
nobly  endeavoring  to  rally  them,  are  either  slain  or  desper- 
ately wounded,  and  victory  at  last  declares  in  favor  of  the 
Venetians  ^ 

The  centre  vessels  of  the  Turks,  opening  to  the  right 
and  left  *  and  pulling  at  full  speed  by  the  galleasses  ^ 
whose  broadside  batteries  made  sad  havoc  among  them  as 
they  passed,  now  formed  in  close  order,  and  steered  for  the 
Christian  centre,  from  which,  when  the  infidel  drew  near,  a 
single  galley,  having  carved  upon  its  bow  the  armorial  bear- 
ings of  the  House  of  Austria,  rowed  forth,  and,  in  token  of 


132  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

defiance,  fired  a  blank  cartridge  in  the  air,  as  in  the  late 
rebellion  of  the  Moors  of  Granada,  which  Don  Juan  had 
brought  to  a  termination  so  glorious  for  himself  and  his 
country,  when  hostile  forces  met,  a  solitary  Spanish  cavalier 
was  wont  to  ride  to  the  front  of  his  command  to  dare  to 
single  combat  the  Moorish  knight  who  appeared  as  the  leader 
of  the  opposite  party. 

Stung  to  the  quick  by  the  bravado^  the  impetuous  Ali 
bore  up  at  once  for  Don  Juan,  and,  as  his  vessel  was  under 
full  headway  when  she  struck  the  real^  the  bow  of  the  latter 
was  severely  injured  by  the  collision,  and  Don  Juan,  who 
was  standing  on  the  forecastle  at  the  time,  must  have  been 
crushed  thereby,  had  not  an  old  seaman  picked  him  up  and 
carried  him  in  his  arms  as  far  aft  as  the  fifth  bench  of 
rowers. 

All's  galley  felt  the  shock  from  stem  to  stern,  and  his 
officers  and  men  suffered  fearfully  from  the  fire  of  the  real^ 
whose  defenders  were  also  fast  falling  under  the  deadly  aim 
of  the  Turks. 

To  right  and  left  now,  along  the  whole  line  the  battle 
raged  with  terrific  fury. 

The  roar  of  the  artillery  was  incessant,  and  heard  for 
many  miles,  and  volley  after  volley  of  small  arms  sounded 
the  death-knell  of  hundreds  of  gallant  soldiers  and  seamen 
both  of  the  Turks  and  of  the  Christians.  The  Marquis  of 
Santa  Cruz,  occupied,  as  we  have  seen,  with  Uluch  Ali, 
could  render  no  assistance  to  Don  Juan  ;  while  the  Turkish 
reserve  was  fully  engaged,  it  appears  probable,  in  preventing 
the  galleasses  from  falling  upon  All's  rear  ;  for  upon  no  other 
hypothesis  can  we  account  for  our  not  hearing  any  thing  of 
it  at  this  most  important  juncture  when  the  addition  of  a 
few  fine  ships  to  the  Turkish  centre  must  inevitably  have 
turned  the  scale  against  the  Christians,  and  caused  the 
defeat  of  that  portion  of  their  fleet  upon  which  the  safety  of 
the  whole  depended ;  for  the  battle  had  now  become  a  melSe 
wherein  everything  hung  upon  the  numbers  and  strength  of 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  133 

the  contending  vessels,  and  the  courage,  endurance  and  dis- 
cipline of  their  crews. 

In  such  a  conflict  the  great  point  was  to  keep  the  head  of 
one's  galley  ever  pointed  toward  the  foe,  and  the  crew  well 
in  hand,  in  readiness  to  board  or  to  repel  boarders,  as  oppor- 
tunity might  offer  or  occasion  require.  If  a  vessel  became 
disabled  in  her  motive  or  steering  power,  straightway  she 
was  rammed  by  several  enemies  at  once,  and  went  to  the 
bottom  with  all  on  board  ;  or  fire  brands  and  burning  darts 
were  thrown  at  her  from  every  direction,  and  in  an  instant 
she  was  all  ablaze,  her  men  either  perishing  miserably  in  the 
flames  or  jumping  overboard  to  be  despatched  by  the  sweeps 
of  some  hostile  galley.  Here  was  seen  a  Christian  vessel — 
her  decks  covered  with  the  dead  and  the  dying — whose  flag 
was  being  lowered  by  unchristian  hands ;  there,  a  Turkish 
galleon,  with  battered  sides  and  scuppers  running  blood, 
borne  off  in  triumph  under  the  banner  of  Venice  or  Castile. 
Ere  long,  however,  the  fleets  were  so  enveloped  in  smoke 
that  these  piteous  spectacles  were  no  longer  visible  ;  yet  the 
noise  of  the  cannonade  continued,  intermingled  with  that  of 
falling  masts  and  spars,  the  crash  of  colliding  vessels,  and  the 
fierce  cries  of  the  combatants  of  "  Down  with  the  unbeliev- 
ers ! "  "  Strike  for  Christ  and  the  Virgin  !  "  and  ever  and 
anon  was  borne  upon  the  breeze  the  triumphal  shout  of  the 
vengeful  Venetian. — "  No  quai-ter  to  the  flying  Turk !  Re- 
member Famagusta ! " 

The  fight  had  lasted  many  hours,  and  the  sun  was  fast 
declining,  when  the  rival  chieftains,  the  beaks  of  whose  gal- 
leys had  long  been  interlocked,  like  the  antlers  of  two  stags 
in  mortal  combat,  mustered  their  forces  on  the  upper  deck, 
each  with  the  intention  of  carrying  the  other's  vessel  by 
boarding. 

On  the  one  side  were  the  Janissaries — those  renowned 
warriors  whose  proud  boast  it  was  that  they  had  never 
turned  their  backs  to  the  foe  ;  on  the  other  that  invincible 
Spanish  infantry,  trained  and  disciplined  by  the  great  Duke 
of  Alva. 


134  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Many  times  did  the  intrepid  Ali  spring  on  board  the  real 
at  the  head  of  his  men,  only  to  be  driven  back  by  the  wither- 
ing fire  of  the  arquebusiers ;  Don  Juan  as  often  gained  and 
lost  the  deck  of  the  Bashaw's  galley.  Foot  to  foot  and  hand 
to  hand  the  bravest  soldiers  of  the  East  and  West  contended 
for  the  mastery. 

The  Spaniard  fought  for  glory  in  this  world  and  endless 
bliss  in  the  world  to  come  ;  while,  beyond  the  serried  ranks 
of  the  Christians,  the  Moslem  beheld  the  dark-eyed  houris  of 
Paradise  waiting  to  welcome  the  warrior  who  should  lose  his 
life  in  the  service  of  Mohammed  and  the  Sultan.  At  length 
Uluch  Ali,  regarding  Doria  as  whipped,  and  recognizing  the 
fact  that  the  final  issue  of  the  battle  depended  upon  the 
struggle  then  so  fiercely  pending  between  Ali  and  Don  Juan, 
steered  for  the  Christian  centre,  followed  by  all  his  Algerines, 
and,  although  stoutly  opposed  by  Don  Juan's  supporters, 
was  fast  nearing  their  admiral's  galley. 

Inspirited  by  the  sight,  Ali  put  himself  at  the  head  of  his 
Janissaries,  and,  crying  out,  "  O  Yengicheri,  this  day  God 
has  delivered  the  unbelievers  into  your  hands !"  he  prepared  to 
board  the  real  at  the  moment  when  Ulich  Ali's  vessel  should 
collide  with  her. 

Victory  seemed  indeed  within  his  grasp,  and  all  was  dark 
with  the  Christians  ! 

At  this  critical  instant,  so  pregnant^  with  the  opposite 
emotions  of  fear  and  hope,  the  smoke  cleared  away,  as  if  by 
enchantment,  and  Don  Alvaro  de  Bazan,  with  the  reserve, 
was  descried  coming  at  full  speed  to  the  relief  of  his  chief, 
while  Doria,  supported  by  a  few  .of  his  best  and  fastest 
galleys,  was  making  an  effort  to  get  in  Uluch  Ali's  rear. 
^^  Seeing  this,  the  wily  Algerine  g^ve  up  all  as  lost,  and, 
signalling  to  his  squadron  to  withdr^iw  from  action,'retired  in 
the  direction  of  Zante.  "  Curses  on  him,  for  a  coward  !  " 
cried  the  indignant  Ali.  "  Soldiers,  we  must  conquer  without 
him !  " 

As  he  ceased  speaking,  a  bullet  fired  by  an   unknown 


THE  GALLET  PERIOD.  135 

hand,  went  crashing  through  his  skull,  and  the  gallant  Turk, 
more  fortunate  than  his  comrades  who  survived  this  disastrous 
day,  fell  back,  senseless,  but  with  honor,  in  the  arms  of  his 
nearest  follower.  Profiting  by  the  confusion  incident  to  his 
fall,  Don  Juan  boarded  his  magnificent  galley  from  the  bow 
simultaneously  with  Veniero  and  Colonna,  who  threw  their 
crews  on  board  on  either  side. 

Thus  over-powered,  the  Janissaries,  true  to  the  principle 
which  had  been  instilled  into  them  from  their  earliest  child- 
hood, resolved  to  die  under  their  colors. 

Not  one  of  them  threw  down  his  arms  or  asked  for 
quarter ;  on  the  contrary,  each  man,  fighting  to  the  last,  fell 
in  the  ranks,  covering  with  his  body  w^hen  dead  that  portion 
of  the  deck  which  he  had  occupied  while  living.  As  the  last 
man  fell,  a  Spanish  volunteer,  cutting  off  All's  head,  carried 
it  with  him  to  the  poop  of  the  real^  whither  Don  Juan  had  be- 
taken himself,  and,  placing  it  on  the  point  of  his  lance,  held 
it  far  above  his  head  that  all  the  Turks  might  see  it,  and  from 
the  helmet  with  which  it  Avas  covered,  bearing  the  insignia 
of  his  rank,  become  cognizant  of  the  fact  that  their  grand 
admiral  was  slain. ^^ 

At  this  dismal  sight,  however,  a  cry  of  horror  went  up 
from  friend  and  foe  alike,  and  Don  Juan  sternly  rebuked  the 
barbarian  who  had  perpetrated  the  outrage  ;  then,  turning  to 
Requesens,  who  stood  near  him,"  the  youthful  victor  directed 
him  to  have  the  colors  of  the  Bashaw's  galley  hauled  down — 
an  order  that  was  joyfully  complied  with. 

As  the  great  standard  of  the  Prophet  was  lowered  to  the 
deck,  fear  and  dismay  seized  the  whole  Turkish  host.  God 
had  given  a  great  victory  to  the  Christians. 

One  hundred  and  thirty  of  the  enemy's  vessels,  with  their 
crews,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  allies,  and  twelve  thousand 
Christian  captives  were  rescued  from  bondage. 

The  rest  of  the  vast  Turkish  armament,  with  its  myriads 
of  brave  men,  was  consumed  by  fire  or  swallowed  up  by  the 
waves. 


136  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

The  Christian  loss  was  fifteen  vessels  sunk  and  eight 
thousand  officers,  seamen  and  soldiers  killed,  of  whom  the 
most  noted  were  the  proveditore^  Augustine  Barbarigo,  who 
died  a  few  days  after  the  battle,  universally  regretted,  and 
Don  Juan,  Ponce  de  Leon,  a  scion  of  that  illustrious  race 
whose  blood  has  ever  been  poured  out  like  water  in  the 
service  of  Spain. 

Among  the  Turks  who,  next  to  the  lamented  Ali,  most 
distinguished  themselves  in  the  action,  the  Bashaw  Pertew, 
who  for  three  hours  sustained,  unaided,  the  attacks  of  four 
Christian  galleys,  stands  pre-eminent. 

Finding  himself  at  last  without  oars  or  rudder,  this  in- 
domitable officer  leapt  overboard  and  swam  to  a  small  fishing 
craft,  where  he  was  overtaken  by  the  Venetians  and  barbar- 
ously murdered.-'^ 

Of  the  Christians,  three  names  come  down  to  us  invested 
with  especial  interest :  those  of  Don  Juan  of  Austria,  whose 
whole  life  was  a  feverish  dream  of  ambition,  to  end  in  a 
melancholy  death ;  of  Alexander  Farnese,  prince  of  Parma, 
destined  to  be  the  first  general  of  his  age ;  and  of  Miguel  de 
Cervantes  Saavedra,  then  but  a  common  soldier  in  the  field 
of  Mars,  but  shortly  to  become  a  leader  and  a  guiding  star  in 
that  wider  and  nobler  field  where  the  sword  yields  precedence 
to  the  pen. 

Such  was  the  ever-memorable  battle  of  Lepanto,  which 
gave  the  coup  de  grdce  to  the  naval  supremacy  of  the  Turks  on 
the  Mediterranean,  and  filled  their  capital  with  mourning. 

That  the  allies  did  not  gain  from  it  all  the  advantages 
they  should  have  gained,  history  makes  apparent. 

The  fact  is  undeniable,  and  is  to  be  attributed  partly  to  a 
want  of  harmony  among  the  commanders  of  the  allied  fleets, 
and,  in  part,  to  Philip's  jealousy  of  his  half  brother,  which 
thenceforth  began  to  manifest  itself  in  all  his  conduct  toward 
him ;  but  the  assertion  of  many  chroniclers  that  Don  Juan 
might  have  taken  possession  of  the  splendidly  fortified  and 
strongly  garrisoned  city  of  Constantinople,  had  he  made  sail 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  137 

for  it  immediately  after  the  action,  is  best  answered  by  the 
Turkish  Vizier  Sokolli  himself :  "  Your  Excellency  wishes 
to  know, "  said  he  to  the  ambassador  of  Venice,  "  what  our 
temper  is  since  our  defeat. 

"  Let  me  tell  you  then,  that  you,  in  losing  Cyprus,  have 
lost  an  arm,  while  the  destruction  of  our  fleet  is  to  us  as  the 
cutting  off  of  our  beard. 

"  A  limb  cannot  be  replaced,  but  the  beard,  you  may  assure 
the  Signory,  will  grow  thicker  with  each  clipping." 

And  this  was  not  a  vain  boast ;  for  early  in  the  following 
summer  more  than  two  hundred  admirably  built  and  well 
equipped  vessels  were  put  afloat  by  the  Turkish  government ; 
and  when  Uluch  Ali,  who  had  been  appointed  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  fleet,  expressed  his  astonishment  at  its  "  marvel- 
lous fittings  "  Sokolli  assured  him  that  the  resources  of  the 
Sublime  Porte  were  such  that  they  could  have  been  furnished 
if  necessary,  ''  with  silken  cordage,  velvet  sails  and  spars  of 
silver."  ^*  The  disaster,  then,  that  befel  the  Turks  at  Le- 
panto,  consisted,  not  in  the  vast  numbers  of  men  and  gal- 
leys lost,  for  these,  as  we  have  seen,  were  easily  replaced, 
but  in  the  loss  of  prestige,  that  breath  of  life  to  a  nation^ 
without  which  it  may  he  likened  to  an  unhuried  corpse. 

From  that  moment  the  Mohammedans  were  placed  on  the 
defensive ;  and  the  historian  of  the  Ottoman  Empire,  in  re- 
cognition of  this  fact,  does  well  to  head  the  chapter  following 
that  which  gives  an  account  of  their  defeat.  Epoch  of  the  de- 
cadence of  the  Turks,  Slowly  but  steadily  has  their  light 
been  declining  ever  since,  and  but  a  short  time  can  now 
elapse  ere  it  will  be  extinguished  forever ;  for  no  nation 
whose  religion  is  purely  material  may  hope  long  to  survive 
the  enlightenment  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

No  wonder,  therefore,  that  the  Pope,  shedding  tears  of 
joy  when  he  heard  of  Don  Juan's  victory,  should  have  ex- 
claimed in  the  language  of  the  gospel :  There  was  a  man  sent 
from  God  whose  name  was  John!  or  that  a  statue  should 
have  been  erected  at  Kome  to  Colonna. 
10     * 


138  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD, 

No  wonder  that  the  pencil  of  Tintoretto  and  the  chisel 
of  Vittoria  were  employed  by  the  Venetians  to  illustrate  that 
great  action  which  seemed  to  revive  the  ancient  glory  of  the 
republic. 

The  victory  of  Lepanto  was  the  final  and  permanent 
triutnph  of  the  Cross  over  the  Crescent. 

Philip  received  the  tidings  on  All  Saints'  Da3%  in  the 
chapel  of  the  Escurial,  just  as  vespers  were  commencing,  and, 
with  his  usual  impassibility  remained  on  his  knees,  during 
the  whole  service,  engaged  in  prayer,  without  vouchsafing  a 
word  of  reply  to  his  chamberlain,  Don  Pedro  Manuel,  who 
was  the  bearer  of  them." 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  service  he  ordered  the  officiat- 
ing priest  to  have  the  Te  Deum  chanted — the  first  intimation 
received  by  his  courtiers  of  the  triumph  of  one  whom  they 
all  loved,  and  whose  chivalric  deeds  Spanish  historians  and 
poets  have  ever  since  vied  with  one  another  in  celebrating. 

The  helmet  of  Ali  and  the  armor  of  Don  Juan  were  hung 
up  side  by  side,  in  the  Royal  Armory  at  Madrid,  where  they 
are  still  exhibited ;  and,  as  the  death  of  the  former  was 
lamanted  not  only  by  the  Turks,  but  by  the  Christians,  on 
account  of  the  kindness  he  had  shown  to  many  of  their  faith 
while  in  captivity,  so  was  that  of  the  latter  which  occurred 
but  eight  years  afterward,  greatly  regretted,  both  by  the 
Christians  and  the  Turks ;  for  the  Mohammedans  long  re- 
membered Don  Juan's  courteous  treatment  of  the  son  of  Ali, 
and  his  generosity  in  restoring  him  without  ransom  to  his 
sister  Fatima.^^ 

The  hero  of  Lepanto  was  in  fact  no  ordinary  mortal  and 
well  deserved  the  affection  and  respect  which  were  accorded 
to  him  by  all  classes  while  he  lived,  and  the  deep  lamenta- 
tion which  accompanied  his  remains  to  the  grave. 

"  He  conquered  the  Moors,"  says  Bentigvolio,  "  while 
but  little  more  than  a  child,  humbled  the  Turks  in  the  flower 
of  his  youth,  and,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-three  departed 
this  life  with  a  reputation  second  to  that  of  no  other  captain 
of  his  day."  ^«  ' 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  139 

After  his  death  he  was  compared  by  many  of  his  country- 
men to  Germanicus,  by  others  to  the  conqueror  of  Jerusalem  ; 
but  the  rude  soldiery,  knowing  nothing  of  the  past,  declared 
that  there  was  but  one  warrior  whose  image  was  worthy  of 
a  place  beside  that  of  their  deceased  general,  and  that  warrior 
his  own  father,  the  renowned  Emperor,  Charles  the  Fifth. 

In  praise  of  the  marshalling  of  the  two  great  fleets  at 
Lepanto,  preparatory  to  engaging,  too  much  cannot  be  said ; 
but  Don  Juan  committed  a  tactical  error  in  not  imitating 
Julius  Caesar  (to  whom  he  was  extravagantly  compared  by 
Alva)  atPharsalia,  by  placing  his  reserve  in  rear  of  his  right- 
flank,  since  as  he  considered  his  left  secured  by  the  shoals  of 
coral  and  sand  off  point  Scropha  he  might  reasonably  have 
anticipated  an  attempt  to  turn  his  right.  His  disposition  of 
the  Galeasses  was  admirable,  and  to  the  moral  effect  <of 
these  great  ships  and  their  destructive  fire,  which  sunk  two 
Turkish  vessels  at  the  very  commencement  of  the  action,  the 
victory  of  the  Christians,  as  we  have  said  before,  was  main- 
ly due.  In  small-arms,  too,  the  Christians  had  greatly  the 
advantage,  since  of  the  Turkish  soldiers  not  more  than  one 
third  carried  arquebuses,  the  rest  being  armed  with  the  arba- 
lest and  bow. 

As  Ali  knew,  it  is  to  be  presumed,  of  the  channel  be- 
tween the  reefs  on  which  the  Christian  left  was  resting 
which  in  military  parlance  might  be  called  the  key  of  the 
position,  his  great  effort  should  have  been  directed  towards 
getting  by  means  of  it,  in  rear  of  the  confederates,  concentrat- 
ing, with  this  design,  such  a  force  on  their  left  as  would  have 
enabled  him  to  annihilate  Barbarigo,  and  making  a  bold/em^ 
at  the  same  time  toward  their  centre  and  right. 

Motley  is  mistaken  in  supposing  that  "  the  Turks  com- 
mitted the  fatal  error  of  fighting  on  a  lee  shore."  They 
came  out  of  Lepanto,  in  fact,  under  sail  and  running  large, 
and  although  the  wind  hauled  ahead,  as  they  were  forming 
line  of  battle,  it  was  very  light  while  the  swell  raised  by  an 
easterly  gale  which  had  prevailed  the  preceding  day  had  so 


140        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD, 

entirely  subsided  as  "to  leave  the  waves,"  according  to 
Rosell,  "  in  complete  quietude  "  {quedando  las  olas  en  com- 
pleta  calma.}  There  was  then  no  lee  shore,  properly  speaking 
for  either  party ;  but  the  night  after  the  engagement,  a  violent 
tornado  swept  over  the  Grecian  seas,  during  which  a  few 
disabled  and  deserted  Turkish  galleys,  which  had  not  been 
taken  possession  of  by  the  Christians,  and  some  of  those  that 
were  making  the  best  of  their  way  toward  Constantinople, 
with  Uluch  Ali,  were  blown  ashore  and  destroyed.  Several 
Turkish  vessels,  which  had  grounded  on  the  Scropha  shoals 
after  they  turned  to  flee,  were  also  broken  up  by  this  storm. 
The  bravery  displayed  by  the  combatants  on  both  sides 
in  this  world-renowned  fight  has  rarely  been  equalled  and 
never  excelled.  But  though  fortune  declared  against  them, 
the  meed  of  heroic  valor  must  be  awarded  to  the  Turks,  who 
fought  from  their  open  decks,  while  a  vast  number  of  the 
Christians  were  under  cover,  in  "  towers,"  "  turrets,"  and 
"  castles,"  and  behind  improvised  mantalets. 

THROUGH  THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE, 
VENICE  CEASES  TO  BE  THE  GREAT  MARITIME  POWER 
OF  THE  WORLD. 

With  Lepanto  properly  ends  the  Naval  history  of 
Venice  and  the  other  Italian  states.  The  discovery  of  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  in  1497,  had  opened  a  new  road  to  India, 
and  thenceforth  Italy  was  no  longer  the  commercial  centre  of 
the  world.  From  this  period,  Venice  gradually  declined, 
until,  on  the  12th  of  May  1797,  through  the  abdication  of 
the  Grand  Council  of  the  Republic,  she  ceased  to  exist  as  an 
independent  power.  With  regard  to  her  form  of  govern- 
ment, much  has  been  written  by  her  enemies,  little  by  her 
friends  ;  but  if  we  may  judge  of  its  character  by  the  works  it 
achieved,  we  shall  conclude  that  it  could  not  have  been 
without  great  merits,  whatever  its  defects.  And  who  is 
there  on  this  continent  who  does  not  rejoice  that  the  bride 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  141 

of  the  Adriatic  has  returned  to  the  home  of  her  fathers— the 
land  of  Columbus  and  Galileo,  of  Galvani  and  Volta,  of 
Michael  Angelo  and  Leonardo  da  Vinci !  that  wonderful 
land  which  has  "  extracted  glory  from  every  department  of 
human  knowledge,  and  adorned  every  art "  ? 

What  man  is  there  among  us  whose  heart  does  not  throb 
with  emotion,  as,  looking  toward  the  East,  he  observes  "  the 
dark  cloud,  fringed  with  irradiations,  which  for  a  thousand 
years  has  hung  over  that  beautiful  peninsula,"  slowly  but 
surely  rising  at  last,  and  revealing  in  letters  of  light,  on  the 
distant  horizon,  these  words  of  brighest  promise  to  mankind  ; 
United  Italy  is  again  resuming  her  place  among  the  great 
nations  of  the  earth. 


OF  THE  PEOPLE  WHO  DWELT  ALONG  THE  SOUTHERN 
SHORE  OF  THE  BALTIC  AND  ON  THE  SEABOARD  OF 
GERMANY. 

Before  proceeding  to  treat  of  the  maritime  affairs  of  those 
States  which  succeeded  Venice  as  rulers  of  the  waves,  it  will 
be  well  to  turn  our  attention  for  a  brief  period  to  the  nations 
dwelling  along  the  shores  of  those  inland  waters,  which,  situ- 
ated in  the  frigid  regions  of  the  North,  and  wrapped  in  Cim- 
merian darkness  during  many  months  of  the  year,  were 
objects  of  superstitious  awe  to  the  Greeks  and  Latins,  who 
reveling  in  the  light  of  their  own  sunny  skies,  shuddered  with 
horror  at  the  bare  mention  of  a  frozen  sea,  and  a  people 
dwelling  in  the  "gloomy  caverns  of  the  North  Wind." 

That  their  descendants  in  the  Middle  Ages  inherited  their 
antipathy  to  cold,  is  shown  by  Dante,  who  at  the  very  bot- 
tom of  the  inferno,  as  his  hell  of  hells,  places  an  icy  lake. 
Perhaps,  however,  much  of  the  dread  of  the  North  among 
the  Latins  arose  from  a  vague  fore-shadowing  of  the  future. 
Leaving  the  banks  of  the  Araxes  some  centuries  before  the 
birth  of  Christ,  the  Scythians  had  gradually  made  themselves 
masters  of  northern  Europe,  from  the  Arctic  to  the  river 


142  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Rhine,  and  from  the  Ural  Mountains  to  the  German  Ocean. 
Like  the  Romans,  "where  they  conquered  they  inhabited," 
and  thus  the  Scandinavians,  Jutlanders  and  Germans  became 
eventually  a  kindred  race.  "The  Germans,"  says  Tacitus, 
"can  recount  their  triumphs  over  Carbo,  Cassius,  Scaurus 
Aurelius,  Servilius  Csepio  and  Cneius  Manlius,  all  defeated 
or  taken  prisoners.  With  them  the  Republic  lost  five  con- 
sular armies  ;  and  since  that  time,  in  the  reign  of  Augustus, 
Varus  perished  with  his  three  legions. 

"  Many  of  our  generals,  it  is  true,  have  beaten  the  Germans 
in  great  battles ;  but  how  much  blood  have  their  victories 
cost  us?  The  mighty  projects  of  Caligula  ended  in  a  farce. 
From  that  period  an  interval  of  peace  succeeded,  until  roused 
at  length  by  our  internal  dissensions,  they  stormed  our 
legions  in  tlieir  winter  quarters,  and  even  planned  the  con- 
quest of  Gaul.  We  forced  them  indeed  to  repass  the  Rhine  ; 
but  from  that  time  what  has  been  our  advantage  ?  We  have 
triumphed  and  Germany  is  still  unconquered."  In  another 
place  the  great  historian,  as  if  beholding  in  prophetic  vision, 
the  triumphal  march  of  "  Northern  barbarians  "  through  the 
streets  ot  Rome,  offers  up  a  prayer  that  the  arms  of  the  Ger- 
mans may  be  turned  against  each  other. 

Some  centuries  had  passed,  however,  from  the  death  of 
Tacitus  before  the  western  empire  was  finally  overthrown, 
and  its  last  emperor — a  pensioner  upon  the  bounty  of  his 
lord — ^banished  to  the  Castle  of  Lucullus,  which  had  origin- 
ally served  as  the  Villa  of  Caius  Marius  I  A  Roman  cherish- 
ing the  traditions  of  the  Republic  and  standing  on  the  Cap- 
itoline  Hill  amid  the  monuments  of  its  greatness,  might  well 
have  expected  in  this  sorrowful  hour  to  see  the  walls  of  the 
Eternal  City  crumble,  and  the  graves  open  and  send  forth 
the  old  soldiers  of  the  "army  of  Numidia,"  to  forbid  the 
approach  of  him  who  was  contemptuously  styled  Augustulus 
by  his  countrymen,  to  the  home  of  the  conqueror  of  Jugur- 
tha,  the  Teutones  and  the  Cimbri  ! 

About  a  quarter  of  a  century  before  the  taking  of  Rome 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  143 

by  Odoacer,  the  East  Germans  or  Saxons  who  dwelt  along 
the  seaboard  of  Germany,  from  the  Rhine  to  the  Skager  Rack, 
gained  a  foothold  in  Britain,  and  after  a  bloody  strife  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years,  the  events  of  which  every  child 
knows,  succeeded  in  subduing  the  whole  island.  Their  rule 
lasted  about  four  centuries,  during  which  time  their  kinsmen 
in  Germany,  under  the  various  names  of  Ostrogoths,  Visi- 
goths, Franks  and  Vandals,  had  obtained  possession  of  almost 
every  foot  of  Europe  south  of  the  Baltic,  which  sea  we  shall 
now  cross  in  search  of  that  northern  branch  of  the  Scythian 
family,  whose  fame  as  a  maritime  people  was  soon  to  be 
heralded  throughout  the  world. 

SCANDINAVIA. 

The  earliest  reliable  accounts  that  we  have  of  the  Norse- 
men come  from  Snorro  Sturleson's  %agm  or  old  stories, 
"  written  down  as  they  were  told  to  him  by  intelligent  per- 
sons, concerning  chiefs  who  had  held  dominion  in  the  North- 
ern countries,  the  truth  of  which  is  not  doubted  by  wise 
men."  Snorro  prefaces  what  may  be  considered  his  historic 
record,  however,  by  a  rapid  sketch  of  the  Yngling  dynasty, 
which,  beginning  in  fable,  ends  with  the  death  of  Olaf,  King 
of  Westfold,  about  the  middle  of  the  9th  century,  from  which 
date  authentic  narrative  takes  the  place  of  fiction,  in  the  un- 
written annals  of  the  North.  A  resume  of  this  portion  of 
Snorro's  work  will  serve  to  give  us  some  idea  both  of  the 
romantic  character  and  the  superstitions  of  the  people  in- 
habiting that  weird  land,  supposed  by  the  ancients  to  be 
encircled  by  a  stagnant  sea,"  whence  the  sun  rose  with  a 
sound  that  was  "  distinctly  audible,"  exhibiting  to  view  the 
gorgeous  palace  of  Apollo,  and  the  god  issuing  forth  for  his 
western  drive,  standing  erect  in  his  chariot,  surrounded  by 
the  nymphs,  and  with  a  blaze  of  fire  about  his  head. 

"It  is  said,"  remarks  Sturleson,  "that  the  earth's  circle 
which   the   human   race   inhabits  is  torn  across  into  many 


144  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

bights,  so  that  great  seas  run  into  the  land  from  the  out- 
ocean.  Thus  it  is  known  that  a  great  sea  goes  in  at  Niorva- 
sund  and  up  to  the  land  of  Jerusalem.  From  the  same  sea 
a  long  sea-bight  stretches  towards  the  North-east,  called  the 
Black  Sea,  which  divided  the  three  parts  of  the  earth ;  of 
which  the  eastern  part  is  called  Asia,  the  western  Europa  or 
Enea.  Northward  of  the  Black  Sea  lies  Swithiod  the  Great 
or  the  Cold. 

In  Swithiod  are  many  wonderful  races  of  men  and  many 
kinds  of  languages.  There  are  giants  and  there  are  dwarfs, 
and  there  are  also  blue  men. 

There  are  wild  beasts  and  dreadfully  large  dragons.  The 
country  east  of  the  Tanaquisi  in  Asia  was  called  Asasland, 
and  its  chief  city  Asgaard.  In  that  city  was  a  chief  named 
Odin — a  great  and  very  far  travelled  warrior — who  conquered 
many  kingdoms;  for  victory  was  with  him  in  every  battle. 
It  was  his  custom  before  fighting  to  call  down  a  blessing  on 
his  men,  laying  his  band  upon  their  heads,  and  whenever 
they  felt  themselves  in  danger,  whether  by  land  or  by  sea,  they 
called  upon  his  name,  knowing  that  where  he  was  aid  was 
near.  Having  subdued  an  extensive  kingdom  in  Saxland, 
Odin  left  his  sons  to  defend  it,  while  he  himself  crossed  the  sea 
and  took  up  his  abode  on  the  Mselare  Lake,  where  he  erected 
a  large  temple  and  began  to  teach  the  people  magic  arts.  He 
conversed  so  cleverly  that  all  who  listened  to  him  were  charm- 
ed with  him ;  and  being  enabled  to  change  his  form  and  color 
at  will,  he  appeared  beautiful  to  his  friends  and  fierce  and 
dreadful  to  his  enemies,  whom  he  sometimes  made  blind, 
sometimes  deaf.  At  other  times  he  struck  them  with  a  panic 
terror,  or  dulled  the  edge  of  their  weapons  at  the  very  mo- 
ment when  his  own  men  were  rushing  upon  them  like  wolves 
or  mad  dogs.  With  words  alone  he  could  quench  a  fire,  still 
the  ocean  in  a  tempest,  and  turn  the  wind  to  any  quarter  he 
pleased.  He  died  in  Sweden  and  the  Swedes  said  he  was 
gone  to  the  ancient  Asgaard.  Then  they  began  to  call  upon 
his  name  and  it  was  believed  that  he  often  showed  himself  to 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  145 

them  before  any  great  battle,  promising  victory  to  some  and 
inviting  others  to  himself." 

From  Odin  to  Halfdan,  who,  on  account  of  the  black- 
ness of  his  hair,  was  called  Halfdan  the  black,  we  have  an 
account  of  more  than  thirty  kings  who  ruled  over  the  Norse 
land,  and,  doubtless  many  reigned  whose  memory  has  not 
been  handed  down  to  us  in  song  or  story.  The  government 
of  Norway,  after  its  various  districts  were  united  under  one 
head,  consisted  of  a  king  and  an  open-air  parliament,  or  as- 
sembly of  the  people  called  a  Thing.  The  Great  Thing 
which  met  at  Drontheim  was  the  Congress  of  the  Nation,  while 
the  district  Things,  of  which  there  were  four,  may  be  likened  to 
State  legislatures.  'In  addressing  a  Thing,  the  speaker  rose, 
if  he  were  a  king,  and  its  members  were  in  the  habit  of 
showing  their  respect  for  such  of  their  orators  as  were  agree- 
able to  them  by  crowding  around  them,  and  listening  atten- 
tively to  every  word  that  fell  from  their  lips,  while  the  voices 
of  others  were  drowned  by  their  rude  clamor. 

The  bonders  (land-owners)  alone  had  a  seat  in  these 
Things,  and  so  influential  was  this  class  in  Norway  that  it 
was  not  considered  a  misalliance  for  the  sister  or  daughter 
of  a  king  to  marry  a  powerful  bonder.  Beside  the  Great  and 
District  Things,  there  were  Petty  Things,  established  in  all 
the  many  sub-divisions  of  the  kingdom,  which  were  presided 
over  by  men  venerable  from  age  and  experience,  and  had 
cognizance  of  such  cases  as  are  with  us  carried  before  magis- 
trates. For  all  offenses,  from  the  murder  of  the  king  down 
to  the  maiming  of  a  thrall,  fines  were  fixed  by  law,  but  it  was 
optional  with  the  aggrieved  par  Ly,  or,  in  case  of  his  death, 
his  next  of  kin  to  accept  compensation  or  take  vengeance  for 
injuries  received. 

Next  to  the  land-owners  came  the  freedmen  or  manumit- 
ted slaves,  who  enjoyed  the  full  protection  of  the  laws,  but 
had  no  say  in  their  enactment,  and  lastly,  the  thralls  or  cap- 
rives  in  war,  over  whom  their  masters  exercised  the  authority 
of  life  and  death. 


146  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

The  summons  to  a  General  or  District  Thing  was  by  a 
piece  of  wood,  with  a  spike  in  the  upper  end  of  it,  called  a 
bod  or  a  bodstickke,  which  was  passed  from  neighbor  to 
neighbor  according  to  established  rules.  When  the  bearer 
of  it  arrived  at  a  house  where  the  people  were  from  home,  he 
laid  it  "  on  the  house  father's  great  chair  at  the  fireside,"  if 
he  could  gain  entrance  to  the  dwelling,  but,  if  not,  he  fast- 
ened it  by  the  spike  to  the  front  door ;  and  either  of  these 
modes  of  delivery  was  held  to  be  legal.  When  the  lower  end 
of  the  bod  was  fashioned  like  an  axe  it  denoted  that  the  king 
would  be  present  at  the  council,  and  an  arrow,  split  into  four 
parts  and  sent  forth  North,  South,  East  and  West,  summoned 
the  bonders  in  all  haste  to  the  place  of  rendez-vous,  armed  to 
the  teeth. 

The  dwellings  of  the  Northmen  were  of  wood  and  of  one 
story,  with  a  sleeping  loft  above  constructed  like  the  garrets 
of  our  ordinary  farm  houses.  The  most  important  room  was 
the  dining-hall,  which,  with  the  wealthy  land-owners,  must 
have  been  very  large  indeed,  as  in  it  they  entertained,  not 
unfrequently,  fifty  guests.  Their  hospitable  boards  groaned 
with  the  weight  of  boar's  flesh  and  every  variety  of  game, 
and  the  mead  went  round,  during  the  long  winter  nights, 
without  stint  or  cessation.  That  drunkenness  and  gluttony 
were  their  vices  is  shown  by  the  number  of  queer  stpries, 
found  in  the  sagas,  of  witches,  warlocks,  dwarfs  and  dragons 
seen  by  the  revellers,  on  various  occasions,  upon  rising  from 
table,  and  of  the  visits  paid  to  them  by  Mara  (the  northern 
night  mare)  after  they  had  retired  to  their  lofts.  In  the 
lower  rooms  of  some  of  the  houses  great  casks  were  placed 
reaching  to  the  flooring  above,  which  was  cut  away  to  accom- 
modate them  ;  and  it  is  narrated  that  a  certain  king  named 
Fiolner,  who  had  been  so  well  entertained  by  his  friend  Frode 
that  he  became  "  very  sleepy  and  exceedingly  drunk,"  fell  into 
one  of  these  hogsheads,  as  he  was  groping  his  way  to  his  bed- 
chamber, and  was  drowned.  Thiodolf  of  Huine  thus  rhymes 
of  it  : 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  147 

"  The  cry  of  fey  denouncing  doom, 
Was  heard  at  night  in  Frode's  home  : 
And  when  brave  Frode  came,  he  found 
Swithiod's  dark  chief,  Fiolner  drowned. 
Tn  Frode's  mansion  drowned  was  he 
Drowned  in  a  waveless,  windless  sea." 

The  house-true  or  house-wife,  an  important  personage  in 
Norway,  was  noted  for  her  industry  and  thriftiness.  "  You 
have  been  taught  little  good,"  cried  one  of  them  angrily,  as 
she  hastily  pulled  away  a  towel  from  a  man  calling  himself 
Vandraade  (luckless  mortal.)  "  You  have  been  taught  little 
good,  you  wasteful  fellow  you,  to  wipe  your  face  in  the  mid- 
dle of  a  cloth  when  the  ends  of  it  are  still  unspotted ! " 

Among  a  people  ignorant  of  the  art  of  writing,  and  yet, 
like  the  Norwegian  bonders,  udal-born,  that  is,  having  certain 
inherited  rights  to  property,  a  class  of  persons  would  natu- 
rally arise  whose  sole  occupation  should  consist  in  commit- 
ting to  memory  accounts  of  the  pedigrees,  births,  deaths,  and 
intermarriages  of  all  the  land-owners  of  the  kingdom.  These 
oral-recorders — "  the  living  books  to  be  referred  to  in  every 
case  of  disputed  ownership  to  land  or  cattle  " — were  of  two 
kinds,  the  prose-relators  or  saga-men  and  the  )-hymers  or  scalds^ 
who  being  from  Iceland  and  without  hereditary  feuds,  and 
the  educated  men  of  the  day  withal,  when  experience  of  men 
and  manners  and  not  books  formed  the  mind,  were  employed 
by  kings  as  their  envoys,  counsellors  and  historiographers. 
Thus  their  traditions,  which  have  come  down  to  us,  through 
Snorro  Sturleson,  in  written  form,  are  of  great  value  to  us  in 
forming  a  judgment  of  the  people  to  whom  they  relate ;  and 
as  we  realise  that  their  songs  and  stories  are  but  the  reflex  of 
the  popular  mind,  it  is  interesting  to  observe,  pervading  the 
whole  of  them,  a  bold  spirit  of  freedom  such  as  was  natural 
to  men  having  a  voice  in  the  national  councils,  and  which 
carried  with  them  into  England,  "formed  the  foundation 
stone,"  as  Laing  well  says,  "  of  the  British  constitution,  re- 
presentative legislation,  trial  by  jury,  freedom  of  mind  and 


148  THE  FLEETS  OF  IHE  WORLD. 

person,  and  freedom  of  the  press."  As  a  proof  of  the  bold- 
ness of  their  satire,  nothing  could  be  stronger  than  the  fol- 
lowing lines  composed  in  the  tenth  century  and  aimed  at 
king  Harold  Gormson  of  Denmark  and  his  bailiff  Birgir,  for 
seizing  upon  a  wrecked  Icelandic  vessel  as  treasure-trove.  So 
keenly  did  the  king  feel  the  force  of  public  opinion  in  the 
matter  that,  after  the  first  explosion  of  his  wrath  was  over, 
he  endeavored  to  throw  the  whole  odium  of  it  on  his  unfor- 
tunate bailiff: 

The  gallant  Harald,  in  the  field, 
Between  his  legs,  let's  drop  his  shield ; 
Into  a  pony  he  was  changed. 
And  kicked  his  heels  and  safely  ranged  : 
And  Birgir,  he  who  dwells  in  halls. 
For  safety  built  with  four  stone  walls, 
That  these  might  be  a  worthy  pair, 
Was  changed  into  a  pony  mare. 

This  biting  lampoon  was  got  by  heart  by  half  the  children 
in  Scandinavia,  and  even  repeated  under  the  king's  very 
roof  with  a  courage  truly  republican.  To  this  brave  spirit, 
bequeathed  to  us  through  our  English  ancestry,  the  United 
States  is  largely  indebted  for  all  that  she  at  this  day  possesses 
of  religious  and  civil  liberty  ;  and,  in  view  of  this  fact,  the 
early  history  of  Scandinavia  cannot  but  be  of  great  interest 
to  every  citizen  of  the  republic.  It  is,  however,  with  the 
Norsemen  as  a  naval  people  solely  that  this  volume  has  to 
deal,  and  as  the  great  battle  fought  off  the  isle  of  Rugen,  in 
the  year  one  thousand,  between  Olaf  Tryggvesson  king  of 
Norway  and  the  kings  of  Denmark  and  Sweden,  is  narrated 
by  Snorro  with  so  much  minuteness  of  detail  as  to  have  served 
the  purposes  of  learned  antiquaries  in  their  investigations 
into  the  ships,  weapons,  &c.,  &c.,  of  that  day,  I  propose  to 
give  a  full  description  of  it  here,  prefacing  it  with  such  an 
account  of  marine  matters  and  of  the  life  of  Olaf  Tryggvesson, 
the  hero  of  the  fight,  as  may  seem  necessary  to  explain  and 
illustrate  it,  and  supplementing  it  with  a  brief  sketch  of  the 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  149 

deeds   of  two   other   famous   sea-kings,  Olaf  the  Saint  and 
Harald  Hardrada. 


THE   NAVAL   POWER   OF  THE   NORSEMEN.     THEIR  FOND- 
NESS FOR  THE  SEA.     THE  VIKINGS. 

In  a  country  like  Norway,  where  in  some  places  the  ocean 
runs  up  hundred  of  miles  into  the  land,  forming  those  beau- 
tiful fiords,  whose  crystalline  waters  abound  in  fish,  it  was 
naturally  to  be  expected  that  the  inhabitants  would  take  to 
the  sea ;  and  we  are,  therefore,  not  surprised  when  Tacitus 
informs  us  that  in  his  day  they  had  a  powerful  naval  force. 

The  whole  land,  in  fact,  was  divided  into  ship  districts, 
each  of  which  upon  a  summons  from  the  king,  was  to  furnish 
its  quota  of  vessels  manned,  armed  and  equipped  according 
to  law ;  while  the  province  of  Viken,  where  the  hard  round 
stones  used  in  battle  abounded,  gave  name  to  that  fearless 
race  of  mariners  known  as  Vikings  who  had  their  first  har- 
borage there. 

With  the  vikings  it  was  a  maxim  that  "  a  man  should 
attack  a  single  enemy,  fight  two,  and  not  yield  to  three,  but 
that  he  might,  without  disgrace,  fly  from  four  ;"  and  as,  by 
degrees,  they  spread  themselves  over  the  Baltic,  taking  pos- 
session of  many  of  its  largest  islands,  they  became  so  power- 
ful as  to  set  all  law  at  defiance,  and  no  vessel  or  coast  was 
safe  from  their  depredations. 

Viking  and  sea-king,  it  must  be  remembered,  are  by  no 
means  synonymous  titles,  though  the  majority  of  writers  use 
them  as  such. 

All  the  G-reat  kings  of  Norway  were  sea-kings,  but  many 
of  them  were  far  from  being  vikings,  who,  stripped  of  the 
romance  with  which  for  ages  they  have  been  invested,  and 
viewed  in  the  light  of  historic  truth,  must  be  characterized  as 
most  atrocious  pirates. 

It  may  justly  be  urged  in  their  behalf,  however,  that  the 
law  oimeum  and  tuum  was  but  little  heeded  in  the  "  good  old 


150  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

times  "  by  the  Norwegians  generally,  with  whom  it  was  as 
much  the  fashion  to  go  to  the  sea-side,  during  the  summer 
months,  "  to  gather  property,"  as  it  is  with  us  to  go  there  to 
lose  it. 

It  seems  indeed  to  have  been  their  chief  solace  in  afflic- 
tion ;  for  we  read  of  a  mighty  chieftain  who  was  so  inconsol- 
able for  the  loss  of  his  wife  that  he  could  neither  eat  nor 
sleep,  and  so  "  he  assembled  his  war-ships,"  says  the  Saga, 
"  and  went  a  plundering." 

So  truly  Nautical  were  the  norsemen  in  their  ideas  that 
they  spoke  of  the  dividing-ridge  or  water-shed  of  a  country, 
as  its  keel^  since,  with  its  sloping  sides,  it  appeared  to  them 
like  a  huge  boat  turned  bottom  upward. 

In  times  of  trouble,  their  chieftains  took  to  their  ships, 
as  the  old  German  barons  took  to  their  castles  ;  and,  indeed, 
in  a  country  where  all  the  habitations  were  of  wood  and 
consequently  could  be  assailed  with  fire,  an  intervening 
sea-fosse  was  a  man's  only  protection  against  surprise  from 
his  enemies. 

Their  war-vessels  which  were  sharp  at  both  ends,  were 
of  two  classes,  the  drakar  or  dragon,  so  moulded  as  to  re- 
present the  ideal  form  of  a  dragon  or  winged  serpent,  and  the 
snekar  or  snake,  which,  with  hissing  tongue  protruding  from 
its  long,  narrow  prow,  glided  stealthily  through  the  waves,  as 
its  prototype  on  land  glides  through  the  grass. 

The  largest  of  these  vessels  of  which  we  have  any  account 
pulled  one  hundred  and  twenty,  the  smallest  sixteen  oars, 
(all  in  one  tier)  and  the  rowers  sat  two  abreast  as  with  us. 

Beneath  their  fleet  Avas  a  shifting  deck,  along  which  large 
chests  were  placed  fore  and  aft,  some  of  which  were  filled 
with  stones  and  others  with  arms  of  various  kinds  whose 
uses  are  made  known  to  us  in  Olaf's  battle. 

It  seems  to  have  been  their  custom  to  make  a  harbor 
every  night  and  sleep  ashore  under  tilts  or  ships-tents,  but 
when  necessity  obliged  them  to  remain  afloat,  the  rowers 
found  a   safe   shelter   amidships  under  "  tented "  awnings, 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  151 

while  the  officers  and  petty  officers  took  refuge  under  the 
poop  and  forecastle  decks. 

In  some  of  the  finest  of  their  vessels,  however,  there  was  a 
poop-cabin  occupied  exclusively  by  the  captain  or  com- 
mander-in-chief. 

Such  were  the  marine  dwellings  of  these  famous  seamen 
during  their  lives,  and  such  the  sepulchres  of  some  of  them 
when  dead. 

In  commemoration  of  his  victories  at  Fradarberg  for  in- 
stance. King  Hakon  the  Good  put  the  corpses  of  his  slain 
in  the  ships  captured  from  the  enemy  which  were  then  drawn 
up  on  shore  and  covered  with  earth  and  stones. 

"-  These  tumuli,"  says  Snorro,  "  are  to  be  seen  at  the 
present  day." 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HULL  OF  A  NORSE  VESSEL,  EXCA- 
VATED, A  FEW  YEARS  SINCE,  FROM  A  MOUND  NEAR 
FREDRIKSTADT,  NORWAY,  AND  NOW  IN  THE  UNIVER- 
SITY OF  CHRISTIANIA. 

The  best  account  I  have  seen  of  the  construction  of  the 
boats  or  galleys  of  the  Norsemen  is  to  be  found  in  a 
tract  published  by  the  society  for  the  preservation  of 
Norwegian  antiquities,  and  translated  into  English  by 
Mr.  Gades,  our  Consul  at  Christiania. 

It  relates  to  a  vessel  found  in  a  mound  a  few  years  ago 
in  the  parish  of  Tune,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  above 
the  town  of  Fredrikstadt,  which  I  myself  saw  at  Christiania, 
in  1871,  in  a  shed  attached  to  the  university. 

"  The  vessel,"  says  the  translation,  "  stood  in  the  mound 
on  a  level  with  the  surrounding  surface  of  the  earth,  in  the 
direction  of  N.  N.  W.  and  S.  S.  E.  a  little  lower  in  the  southern 
than  in  the  northern  end.  It  is  clinker  built,  with  iron  nails, 
and  made  almost  exclusively  of  oak  ;  only  the  ribs  and  wood- 
en nails,  which  were  found  at  some  places,  are  made  of  fir. 

The  keel,  which  is  made  of  a  single  piece  of  wood  and 
quite  undamaged,  is  43i  feet  in  length. 


152  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

The  width  of  it  can  no  longer  be  given  with  exactitude. 
as  the  upper  boards  have  disappeared,  but  it  has  undoubtedly 
been  more  than  13  feet  wide  amidships. 

The  perpendicular  height  from  the  keel  to  the  gunwale 
can  not  have  exceeded  four  feet. 

As  will  be  seen  from  these  measurements,  the  vessel  has 
been  very  flat  and  low. 

Both  ends  are  almost  alike  and  both  very  pointed,  so  that 
one  can  be  in  doubt,  which  is  fore  and  which  aft. 

But  several  circumstances,  especially  the  position  of  the 
mast,  appear  to  indicate,  that  the  northern  end  is  the  stern. 

The  pieces  preserved  of  the  ends  of  the  vessel  show  that 
there  must  have  been  10  or  11  boards  in  height  on  each  side. 

There  are  still  remnants  left  of  the  tenth  board  amidships 
and  there  cannot  have  been  more  than  eleven  to  judge  from 
the  height  of  the  perfectly  preserved  ribs. 

The  boards  are  one  inch  thick,  but  of  different  widths, 
varying  from  6  to  12  inches. 

One  board,  the  eighth  from  below,  is  much  thicker  than 
the  others ;  viz,  more  than  two  inches,  but  only  five  inches 
wide. 

The  clinker  nails  have  round  heads  outside  and  square 
ones  inside ;  they  are  6  to  9  inches  apart. 

The  openings  are  tightened  with  tarred  oakum  of  neat's 
hair. 

Where  the  boards  are  joined  together  they  are  cut  off 
obliquely  and  held  together  by  three  clinker  nails. 

As  the  gunwale  was  entirely  destroyed,  the  thowls  are 
also  wanting. 

It  can  however  be  taken  for  granted,  that  they  have  been 
of  the  same  form  as  is  still  used  in  the  boats  on  the  Northern 
and  Western  coasts  of  Norway. 

The  ribs  have  been  thirteen  in  number  ;  of  these,  however, 
the  outermost  in  the  southern  end  has  disappeared  and  several 
others  have  been  badly  damaged. 

They  are  built  of  three  different  layers  of  wood  one  above 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  153 

the  other,  joined  together  partly  by  oak  and  partly  by  iron 
nails. 

The  upper  and  the  lower  layers  are  made  of  oak,  while 
the  centre  one,  which  is  wider  than  the  others  and  projects  a 
little  beyond  them  on  both  sides,  is  of  fir.  ' 

The  relative  distance  of  the  ribs  is  rather  regular,  2  feet 
7  inches ;  their  width  in  the  central  laj^er  is  7  or  8  inches. 

The  ribs  have  been  tied  to  the  boards  with  bast  ropes. 

On  the  inside  of  the  boards,  at  every  rib  a  long  clamp  is 
carved  out  of  the  w^ood ;  two  holes  have  been  made  in  the 
clamp  and  in  the  lower  side  of  the  rib  a  similar  one,  through 
which  the  rope  has  been  run. 

Fragments  of  bast  were  still  found  in  several  of  the  holes. 

The  uppermost  boards,  however,  have  been  secured  to  the 
ribs  by  wooden  nails. 

The  keel  and  the  ribs  are  not  joined  in  any  way  ;  the  keel 
was  consequently  only  secured  by  the  nails,  which  fastened 
it  to  the  boards  in  the  bottom. 

This  peculiar  mode  of  joining  must  undoubtedly  have 
made  the  vessel  rather  weak,  but  it  has,  at  the  same  time, 
given  it  more  elasticity  and  augmented  its  speed. 

There  was  no  deck,  but  there  have  probably  been  thin 
planks  between  the  ribs ;  they  must  have  rested  on  the  pro- 
jecting edge  of  the  central  layer  of  the  ribs. 

There  was  no  trace  of  thwarts  to  be  seen  ;  in  consequence, 
the  number  of  oars  cannot  be  known. 

To  judge  from  the  number  of  ribs  it  may,  however,  be 
concluded  that  there  have  been  10  on  each  side. 

This  vessel  however  has  not  been  propelled  by  means  ol: 
oars  alone  ;  it  has  also  had  a  sail,  and  the  way  in  Avhich 
the  mast  was  secured  is  one  of  the  most  peculiar  points 
about  it. 

Along  the  bottom  there  lies  a  large  square-hewn  beam  of 
oak,  extending  across  five  ribs  in  the  middle. 

A  little  behind  the  rib  in  the  centre  (supposing  that  the 
stern  was  pointing  northwards)  there  is  a  square  hole  for  the 

11 


154  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

mast,  and  in  front  of  it  close  by  the  rib,  the  stump  of  a  thick 
branch  in  the  wood  has  been  left  to  support  the  mast. 

Above  the  said  beam  there  is  a  still  larger  log  of  oak,  6  ells 
long,  a  little  over  one  ell  wide  and  1  §  feet  thick  in  the  middle, 
but  growing  thinner  towards  the  ends,  which  are  carved  in 
the  shape  of  a  fish-tail. 

Right  through  the  log  is  made  a  square  hole,  3  feet  9 
inches  long  and  11  inches  wide,  in  the  foremost  part  of  which 
the  mast  and  the  stump  supporting  it  are  standing. 

This  hole  has  without  doubt  been  made  so  large  to  facili- 
tate the  lowering  of  the  mast. 

When  it  was  raised  the  hole  must  have  been  filled  with 
plugs. 

There  was  still  a  stump  of  the  mast  about  one  ell  long 
found  standing  in  its  place ;  it  is  made  of  fir. 

A  little  in  front  of  the  mast  hole  there  is  a  square  hole, 
descending  in  the  upper  beam  about  6^  inches  square  ;  it  has 
perhaps  served  to  fix  some  other  instrument  for  the  further 
support  of  the  mast. 

The  undermost  beam  is  lying  quite  loose  on  the  keel  and 
the  two  beams  were  not  at  all  joined  together,  they  are  only 
fastened  to  the  ribs. 

The  whole  work  is  executed  with  evident  care  and  ele- 
gance for  that  period. 

All  the  boards  are  ornamented  with  mouldings  on  the 
edges  both  inside  and  outside ;  there  are  also  mouldings  and 
carved  ornaments  on  the  upper  side  of  the  ribs. 

At  many  places  in  the  ship  traces  were  found  on  the  wood 
of  a  conglomeration  of  light  blue  color  which  was  at  first 
thought  to  be  paint. 

On  closer  examination  this  supposition  however  proved 
to  be  erroneous,  according  to  the  opinion  of  persons  qualified 
to  judge. 

It  is  an  iron  combination  (phosphoric  oxide  of  iron)  de- 
posited on  the  wood  from  the  surrounding  earth,  which 
abounds  in  iron. 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  155 

No  small  implements,  belonging  to  the  vessel,  were  found 
with  the  exception  of  a  rudder. 

According  to  the  account  given  by  the  owner  of  the  farm, 
it  was  lying  across  the  vessel  a  little  behind  the  mast.  It  is 
made  of  fir. 

The  blade  is  4  feet  7  inches  long  and  lOJ  inches  wide. 

The  stem  which  begins  at  the  central  and  widest  part  of 
the  blade,  has  a  length  of  1  foot  10  inches. 

At  the  very  top  of  the  stem  is  a  square  hole  for  the 
tiller  ;  it  stands  perpendicularly  on  the  flat  side  of  the  blade. 

In  the  centre  of  the  blade  of  the  rudder  itself  and  7  inches 
from  its  upper  edge  is  a  round  hole  through  which  the  rope  was 
run  which  secured  it  to  the  side  of  the  ship. 

For  it  must  have  been  a  side  rudder  fixed  to  the  side  of 
the  ship  a  little  in  front  of  ther  sternpost,  where  it  can  be 
seen  on  drawings  of  ancient  ships  from  the  earlier  middle 
ages. 

Some  other  implements  have  been  previously  discovered 
and  carefully  preserved  by  the  proprietor  of  the  farm. 

Just  behind  the  mast  beam,  the  spot  being  indicated  by 
small  flat  wooden  blocks,  sunk  in  the  clay  and  laid  in^  a 
square  along  the  sides  of  the  ship  and  right  across  it,  lay 
some  unburnt  bones  of  a  man  and  a  horse. 

There  were  also  discovered  two  beads  of  colored  glass, 
some  cloth  compactly  rolled  together  and  four  small  pieces 
of  carved  wood,  which  appear  to  be  fragments  of  a  saddle. 

Close  b}^  part  of  a  snow-skate  was  found,  viz  ;  the  middle 
piece  on  which  the  foot  rests,  with  a  hole  for  the  strap. 

At  a  later  excavation  it  was  observed  that  the  inside  of 
the  vessel  had  been  covered  with  a  thin  layer  of  moss  before 
the  earth  was  thrown  over  it. 

According  to  report  the  same  had  been  observed  in  the 
part  earlier  excavated. 

In  the  southern  end  of  the  mound  at  the  height  of  the 
vessel's  gunwale  and  still  higher,  traces  of  iron  utensils 
were  seen  at  many  places,  but  they  were  so  rusted  away. 


156  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

that  there  was  hardly  any  thing  left  but  some  stripes  of  rust 
in  the  earth. 

By  the  prow  at  the  eastern  gunwale  of  the  vessel  the 
handle  of  a  sword  of  the  form  used  in  the  Viking  period 
was  clearly  distinguished  ;  nearly  opposite  on  the  western 
side  the  point  of  a  spear  and  the  boss  of  a  shield  seem  to 
have  laid. 

Just  where  the  prow  must  have  been,  lay  a  long  heavy 
lump  of  iron  rust,  apparently  a  fragment  of  a  coat  of  mail. 

On  the  western  side  of  the  gunwale  about  opposite  the 
mast,  there  was  a  heap  of  horse-bones,  but  so  decayed,  that 
only, the  teeth  could  be  exhumed  in  any  way  whole. 

They  were  examined  by  a  veterinar}^  surgeon,  who  de. 
Glared  that  there  must  have  been  the  skeletons  of  at  least 
two  horses,  viz  ;  of  an  older  and  a  younger  animal. 

In  that  part  of  the  mound  was  also  found  a  little  round 
bung  of  oak,  such  as  might  be  used  for  a  barrel,  and  also  seve- 
ral oaken  sticks  of  different  sizes,  1  or  2  ells  long,  somewhat 
pointed  at  one  end,  scattered  here  and  there  in  the  vessel. 

At  many  places  inside  of  the  vessel,  but  not  equall}^  dis- 
tributed throughout  it,  juniper  bushes  which  had  been  pulled 
up  by  the  roots  were  lying  iji  the  clay  and  still  so  well  pre- 
served, that  the  needles  could  be  distinctly  seen. 

Finally  under  the  vessel  on  its  eastern  side,  were  found 
an  oaken  spade  or  shovel  and  a  handspike  made  of  a  young 
oak  trunk,  of  which  the  bark  was  partially  preserved. 

The  articles  found  in  and  near  the  vessel  completely 
establish,  what  might  also  have  been  supposed  without  their 
testimony,  viz ;  that  one  had  come  on  a  ship-tomb  from  the 
younger  iron-age. 

The  ship  was  carefully  drawn  out  of  the  river  not  far 
distant ;  it  was  placed  on  the  ground,  the  turf  and  the  earth 
having  been  previously  removed. 

The  situation  chosen  was  such  as  was  generally  preferred 
for  interments  in  heathen  times,  as  the  mound  could  be  seen 
at  a  great  distance  on  all  sides,  and  the  deceased  could  thus 


to 


^^'"^■./o 

= 

o 

O      0      0. 

/' 

0 

-1 

; 

0 

,- 

i 


^^ 


05 


li^ 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  157 

enjoy,  from  his  last  resting  place,  a  fine  view  over  the  coun- 
try, where  he  had  lived  and  toiled. 

After  the  space  under  the  ship  had  been  filled  with  earth, 
the  body  of  the  deceased  was  placed  in  its  after  part,  where, , 
as  its  captain,  he  had  sat  when  alive. 

The  beads  and  the  pieces  of  cloth  indicate  that  the  body 
was  buried  with  clothes  on. 

By  his  side  a  horse  and  saddle,  harness  and  snow-skates 
were  laid. 

Thus  he  had  ship,  horse  and  snow-skates  with  him  in  the 
sepulchral  tumulus. 

One  involuntarily  calls  to  mind  the  ancient  account  of 
the  burial  of  Harald  Hildetand,  who  fell  at  the  battle  of 
Braavalla. 

Sigurd  Ring  ordered  the  bod}^  of  the  fallen  King  to  be 
driven  into  the  mound  on  the  chariot  he  had  used  in  battle. 

The  horse  was  killed,  and  Sigurd  then  had  his  own 
saddle  buried  in  the  mound,  "  that  Harald  might  choose 
whether  he  would  ride  or  drive  to  Valhalla." 

A  little  farther  out  in  the  mound,  and  apparently  with- 
out regard  to  order,  the  weapons  and  several  of  the  horses  of 
the  deceased  were  buried. 

With  respect  to  several  other  articles  discovered  here,  we 
can  make  the  same  remark,  as  with  articles  now  and  then 
found  in  other  tumuli,  that  it  is  rather  difficult  to  under- 
stand for  what  purpose  they  have  been  laid  there. 

We  have  then  here  considerable  fragments  of  a  vessel 
undoubtedly  belonging  to  the  Viking  period. 

It  can  hardly  be  supposed  that  this  is  one  of  the  ships,  on 
•which  the  Norwegians  of  that  period  made  their  bold  Viking- 
expeditions  in  the  Baltic,  the  North  Sea  and  the  Atlantic. 

A  vessel  so  small  in  size,  and  built  so  low  and  flat,  could 
not  be  adaptedto  long  voyages  in  the  open  sea  ;  it  could  only 
have  been  used  for  coasting  trade  and  shorter  expeditions." 

Referring  to  the  last  paragraph  quoted,  it  may  be 
remarked  that  the  Norsemen  had  large  sailing  transports  for 


158  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

distant  enterprises  which  are  supposed  to  have  been  the 
archetypes  of  the  modern  Dutch  galliot  ;  and  such  doubtless 
were  the  vessels  of  Rolf  Ganger,  the  conqueror  of  Normandy, 
whose  dry-docks  (certain  rude  excavations  in  the  sand),  are 
still  pointed  at  by  the  inhabitants  of  Vigroe,  an  island  in  the 
bailiwick  of  Soud  More,  as  the  proudest  monuments  their 
country  can  exhibit. 

OLAF  TRYGGVESSON,  NORWAY'S  FIRST  CHRISTIAN  KING. 

Next  to  Rolf  Ganger,  in  the  estimation  of  his  countrymen, 
comes  the  Norse  king  whose  life  we  are  about  to  sketch : 
Olaf  Tryggvesson  was  born  on  a  small  island  in  one  of  the 
lakes  of  Norway,  three  months  after  his  mother,  Astrid,  had 
taken  refuge  there  from  the  murderers  of  her  husband. 
Try ggve  Olafsson. 

When  the  boy  was  but  a  few  weeks  old,  Astrid  took  him 
to  Sweden,  where  she  resided  two  years ;  at  the  expiration  of 
which,  accompanied  by  her  foster-father,  Thoralf  Luiskiog, 
and  his  son  Thakil,  she  sailed  with  him  for  Russia,  to  seek  the 
protection  of  her  brother  Sigrid,  who  held  a  high  office  under 
King  Valdemar  of  Novogorod. 

On  the  way  thither,  however,  she  and  her  party  fell  into 
the  hands  of  Esthonian  pir.ates  and  became  slaves. 

Olaf  was  now  separated  from  his  mother,  and  he  and 
Thais il  sold  together  for  "a good  and  stout  ram,"  while  Tho- 
ralf was  knocked  in  the  head  by  his  captor,  Klerkon,  as  being 
too  old  to  work. 

Olaf  was  afterward  sold  separately,  "  for  a  new  cloak," 
to  a  man  named  Reas,  with  whom  he  lived  six  years,  when 
his  uncle  visiting  Esthona  on  King  Valdemar's  business,  found 
him  out,  and  took  him  with  him  to  Novogorod,  when  he  soon 
gave  evidence  of  the  spirit  that  was  in  him,  by  driving  a 
battle-axe,  his  favorite  plaything,  deep  into  the  brain  of  the 
murderer  of  his  foster-father,  whom  he  saw  one  day  seated  in 
the  market  and  immediately  recognized. 


I 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  159 

For  this  offence  he  w  ould  have  been  put  to  death,  but  for 
the  intervention  of  Valdernar's  wife,  Queen  AUogia,  who, 
with  a  sense  of  justice  and  the  eternal  fitness  of-  tilings  truly 
feminine,  declared  "  that  the  boy  was  too  good  looking  to  . 
lose  his  head,"  and  thereupon  paid  over  to  the  relatives  of 
the  deceased  Esthonian,  in  "  good  gold,"  the  price  that  was 
demanded  for  it. 

Olaf  remained  in  Novogorod,  under  the  queen's  protec- 
tion, until'  his  eighteenth  birthday,  when,  being  considered 
the  handsomest  man  of  his  day,  and  very  expert  in  the  man- 
agement of  a  boat  and  in  all  other  manly  ex-ercises,  it  natu- 
rally suggested  itself  to  his  benefactress  that  the  proper 
theatre  for  the  display  of  himself  and  his  accomplishments 
was  the  sea ;  so  she  at  once  fitted  out  a  fine  'fleet  for  his 
command,  in  which  he  cruised  for  many  years  in  the  Baltic 
and  North  Seas,  plundering  everything  he  fell  in  with,  in 
proper  Viking  fashion. 

During  this  period  he  married  Geyra,  the  daughter  of 
King  Burislaf  of  Vendland,  with  whom  he  lived  very  happily 
indeed ;  but  one  day  Geyra  was  taken  suddenly  ill  and  the 
next  she  died ;  and  then,  Vendland  becoming  hateful  to  him 
— for  every  object  there  reminded  him  of  happiness  past — he 
shifted  his  cruising-ground  to  the  British  Channel,  where 
his  renown  as  an  impartial  freebooter  reached  its  highest  pitch. 

It  is  true  that  in  the  Scilly  islands  he  became  converted 
to  Christianity  by  a  pious  hermit,  who  was  endowed  with 
the  gift  of  prophesy ;  but  this  converson  abated  not  a  whit 
his  ardor  in  "  gathering  propert}^,"  since  nothing  was  held  to 
be  more  Christian  in  that  age  than  for  a  man,  in  humble  imi- 
tation of  the  Church  itself,  to  lay  violent  hands  on  whate'^er 
came  in  his  way. 

Stopping  in  Ireland,  on  his  return  voyage,  Olaf 's  fighting 
propensities  so  endeared  him  to  the  men  that  great  numbers 
of  them  enlisted  under  his  banner,  while  his  extraordinary 
personal  beauty  made  him  a  universal  favorite  with  the 
women,  "one  of  whom,"  says  the  chronicle,  "  Gyda  by  name, 


160  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD, 

the  daughter  of  the  King  of  Dublin,  and  widow  of  an  English 
earl,  chose  him  for  her  husband  over  a  large  number  of  well- 
dressed  meiT,  although  he  had  nothing  but  his  had-weather 
clothes  on^'  . 

Setting  out  from  Ireland,  with  a  large  force,  for  the  re- 
covery of  the  kingdom  which  was  his  by  right  of  inheri- 
tance, he  had  the  good  fortune  to  reach  Norway  at  a  time 
when  the  whole  body  of  the  bonders  were  in  arms  against 
Earl  Kakon,  the  usurper,  who  had  insulted  the  wife  of  one 
of  their  number. 

Olaf  put  himself  at  their  head,  and  the  usurper  being 
slain,  the  Great  Thing,  assembled  at  Drontheim  for  the  pur- 
pose of  choosing  his  successor,  declared  Olaf  Tryggvesson 
king  of  Norway. 

All  the  Norwegians  now  embraced  Christianity  (except 
those  of  the  province  of  Viken  who  under  Earl  Eric,  son  of 
the  late  king,  betook  themselves  to  their  boats) ;  and  on  the 
spot  where  Olaf  first  landed,  opposite  Moster  Island,  the  first 
Christian  Church  erected  in  Norway  was  built. 

From  this  time  every  thing  went  well  with  the  king  until 
he  proposed  marriage  to  queen  Sigrid  the  Haughty,  sister  of 
Olaf,  king  of  Sweden,  and  was  accepted  by  her  ;  when  meet- 
ing her  at  the  place  appointed  for  the  wedding,'  he  pressed  her, 
before  becoming  his  wife  to  become  a  Christian,  and  upon 
her  refusal,  ungallantly  threw  his  glove  in  her  face,  and 
called  her  "  a  faded  heathen  hag." 

Being  called  a  hag  in  a  country  w^here  witchcraft  was 
commonly  practised  could  hardly  be  reckoned  an  insult,  but 
faded!  that  word  of  fearful  import  to  a  woman,  whether  ap- 
plied to  her  clothes  or  to  her  complexion,  what  female  of  any 
age  could  be  expected  to  stand  that ! 

Sigrid  certainly  was  not  of  that  complexion. 

She  neither  started  nor  screamed,  however,  but  merely 
remarked  in  a  very  low  voice,  as  she  turned  from  the  king, 
"This  will  some  day  prove  your  death;  "  and  as  she  had 
many  years  before  this  roasted  alive  Harald  Granske,  king  of 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  161 

Nestfolcl  and  Visaveld  of  Russia,  while  they  were  asleep  in 
their  beds,  saying,  "  She  would  make  these  small  kings  tired 
of  coming  to  see  her,"  she  seemed  a  dangerous  woman  to 
trifle  with,  as  indeed  the  event  proved. 

Time  passed,  and  Sigrid  married  Swend  Forked  Beard, 
king  of  Denmark,  whose  sister  Thyri,  bethrothed  to  Burislaf, 
the  king  of  Vendland  before  spoken  of  in  this  narrative,  had 
run  away  to  Norway  and  married  01  af  Tryggvesson,  who  at 
the  time  of  which  we  speak,  had  demanded  her  dower  of 
Burislaf,  and  was  about  fitting  out  a  fleet  to  enforce  his  de- 
mand, in  case  it  should  not  be  promptly  acceded  to. 

Sigrid  now  saw  that  the  hour  for  wreaking  the  vengeance 
she  had  long  meditated  was  at  hand ;  and  so  she  spoke 
constantly  to  her  husband  and  brother  of  the  great  danger 
each  of  them  ran,  in  permitting  the  king  of  Norway  to  main- 
tain such  a  large  navy  as  he  was  said  to  possess,  at  the  same 
time  depicting  in  glowing  colors  the  excellent  opportunity 
for  destroying  him,  which  would  present  itself  upon  his  re- 
turn from  Vendland  when,  forced  to  pass  close  to  the  coast 
of  Denmark,  and  with  his  vessels  encumbered  with  spoils,  he 
could  undoubtedly,  she  declared,  be  taken  by  surprise.  • 

The  two  kings,  who  both  envied  and  feared  Olaf  Trygg- 
vesson, were  easily  won  over  to  Sigrid's  way  of  thinking, 
and  Earl  Eric  Kakonson  uniting  his  fortunes  with  theirs,  the 
three  set  vigorously  to  work  preparing  for  their  meditated 
attack. 


OLAF  TRYGGVESSON  WITH  A  LARGE   FLEET  VISITS   THE 
KING  OF  VENDLAND.     A  SCANDINAVIAN  BANQUET. 

The  king  of  Norway,  meanwhile,  having  assembled  his 
forces,  got  underway  for  Vendland,  and  as  he  sailed  out  of 
the  harbor  of  Sole  with  his  fleet  of  sixty-one  vessels,  an  old 
scald,  standing  upon  a  sea-girt  cliff  whence  he  could  take  in 
the  whole  grand  spectacle  at  a  glance,  enthusiastically  impro- 
vised of  it  as  follows : — 


162  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

"■  From  Norway-fiord  sailing  free, 

Our  ships  sweep  o'er  the  dark  blue  sea, 

Their  sails  well  trimmed  to  catch  the  wind, 

Their  gunwales  low  with  bright  shields  lin'd, 

Their  prows  with  dragons'  heads  adorned, 

Or  hissing  shakes  or  bisons  horn'd, 

Or  warrior  grim,  in  mail-clad  vest. 

With  visor  closed  and  lance  at  rest. 

Others  again  go  dashing  by 

(Throwing  the  sea-foam  bulwark-high). 

With  falcons  bold,  about  to  fly, 

Forming  their  beaks  ;  and  one  draws  nigh, 

Bearing  the  name  of  Odin  dread, 

Upon  whose  gilded  billet-head 

A  raven  sits,  with  wings  outspread  : 

Above  that  bird  of  evil  mien, 

A  bold  defiant  cock  is  seen. 

With  neck  outstretched  and  gaping  mouth 

(Turning  his  head  now  North,  now  South), 

High  perched  upon  the  coal  black  mast, 

To  tell  the  veering  of  the  blast. 

Hurra!  Hung  out  o'er  evejy  prow, 

The  war-flag  red  is  flying  now, 

The  Dragon-flag  each  Norseman  knows — 

To  friends  a  shield,  a  scourge  to  foes ! 

A  goodly  sight  it  is  to  see 

That  banner  waving  fair  and  free  ! 

A  goodly  sound  it  is  to  hear. 

From  Norsemen's  throat,  cheer  after  cheer, 

As,  gliding  swiftly  by  the  strand. 

They  bid  farewell  to  father-land. 

But  now,  the  outer  skerries  past, 
Lost  to  our  sight  is  each  tall  mast  ; 
And  chilly  evening  draweth  nigh, 
And  thralls  and  bonders  homeward  hie. 
In  every  house,  from  light  to  light, 
The  sparkling  ale  will  pass  to-night ; 
The  good-luck  ale,  of  strongest  brew, 
To  Olaf  and  his  gallant  crew  ! 

Arrived  in  Vendland,  the  warrior-king,  instead  of  finding 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  163 

an  armed  host  drawn  up  along  the  shore  to  oppose  his  land- 
ing, was  greeted  with  the  utmost  cordiality  by  his  quondam 
father-in-law,  who  not  only  restored  to  Thyri  her  dowry, 
but  made  her  rich  presents  beside,  and  then  insisted  upon 
Olaf  s  passing  the  summer  with  him,  "  that  he  might  renew 
his  acquaintance  with  his  old  friends." 

So  Olaf  loitered  man}^  weeks  there,  little  knowing  that 
his  enemies  were  all  the  while  assembling  their  fleets,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  keeping  a  watchful  eye  upon  his  every 
movement  through  a  spy  of  theirs  named  Sigvald,  who,  hav- 
ing married  Astrid,  the  youngest  daughter  of  king  Bursilaf, 
stood  high  in  the  esteem  of  this  petty  sovereign,  and,  of 
course,  knew  all  that  transpired  at  the  court. 

Now  Sigvald,  or  Earl  Sigvald,  as  he  is  styled  in  the  Sagas, 
was  a  noted  Viking,  and,  like  the  kings  of  Sweden  and  Den- 
mark, jealous  of  the  growing  power  and  popularity  of  Olaf 
Tryggvesson,  whose  praises,  at  this  epoch,  resounded  far 
and  near. 

"  For  he  was,"  says  Snorro,  "  handsomer  and  more  ex- 
pert in  all  exercises  than  any  man  whose  memory  is  preserved 
to  us  in  story,  and  he  was  stronger  and  more  agile  than  most 
men. 

"  He  could  run  across  the  oars  outside  of  his  vessel  while 
his  men  were  rowing,  and  could  walk  all  around  upon  the 
rail. 

"  He  could  play  with  three  daggers  in  the  air,  catching  the 
one  falling  always  by  the  handle  ;  could  cut  and  strike  equally 
well  with  both  hands,  and  could  cast  two  spears  at  once. 

"►He  one  day  ascended  the  Smaller  Horn  and  fixed  his 
shield  upon  its  very  peak,  where  never  man  had  been  before 
nor  has  been  since. 

"  He  was,  too,  of  a  merry  temperament,  gay  and  social 
very,  and  had  great  taste  in  dress  as  in  everything  else. 

"  In  battle  he  was  the  bravest  of  the  brave,  and  a  firm 
friend,  though  a  bitter  enemy." 

But  a  day  was  now  fixed  for  the  king's  return  to  Norway 


164  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

and  so  Burislaf  gave  him  a  grand  farewell  supper,  according 
to  the  fashion  of  that  day,  wherein,  as  the  majority  of  the 
Vendlanders,  Burislaf  among  the  number,  had  not  yet  em- 
braced Christianity,  heathen  and  Christian  ceremonies  were 
strangely  intermingled. 

The  supper  table  was  spread  in  an  old  temple,  whose 
walls  and  floor  were  liberally  sprinkled  with  the  blood  (called 
lau€)  of  the  animals  slaughtered  for  it,  conspicuous  among 
which,  and  right  in  the  centre  of  the  table,  was  a  horse  roasted 
whole  even  to  the  hoofs — a  custom  which  had  its  orisrin 
among  the  ancient  Scythians,  and  was  retained  by  the  Scan- 
dinavians, at  first  in  commemoration  of  their  ancestry,  but 
finally  as  a  religious  rite,  the  horse  being  sacred  to  Odin. 

The  drinking-horns,  which,  at  great  feasts,  were  passed 
from  hand  to  hand,  were  of  large  size,  with  rings,  equidistant 
from  and  parallel  to  each  other,  inscribed  on  their  inner  sides ; 
and  each  bonder,  when  his  neighbor's  horn  was  handed  to 
him,  was  expected  to  drink  down  to  the  uppermost  ring  cov- 
ered by  the  liquid. 

When  the  banquet  was  ready,  Burislaf,  preceded  by  his 
harpers,  fiddlers,  and  cup-bearers,  conducted  Olaf  Tryggves- 
son  to  a  seat  on  his  right,  after  which  he  invoked  a  blessing 
upon  the  meat  and  drink,  and  then  called  upon  his  guests  to 
do  full  justice  to  his  cheer  ;  whereupon,  without  further  par- 
lance or  ceremony,  the  feasting  began. 

And  first  Odin's  great  goblet  was  drained  for  victory  and 
power  to  the  king,  and  next  Niord's  for  health  and  a  good 
season. 

When  these  were  emptied  the  Christians  drank  Christ's 
health  and  Saint  Michael's,  "  and  the  strongest  drink  and  the 
fullest  measure  were  given  to  the  Norsemen." 

Then  the  full  bowl  called  the  hraga  bowl,  over  which 
vows  were  made,  was  drunk  by  all  ;  after  which  King  Olaf, 
rising  from  his  seat,  called,  in  a  loud  voice,  iov  the  funeral  ale, 
and,  filling  his  horn  with  it  up  to  the  brim,  "  This  cup,"  he 
cried,  "  to  the  memory  of  Rolf  Ganger  I  " — a  toast  that  was 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.         '  165 

received  with  acclamation ;  for  all  present  had  heard  of  the 
valiant  deeds  of  the  conqueror,  and  regarded  him  as  the 
mightiest  of  Norsemen. 

While  the  liquor  was  circulating  thus,  great  slices  of 
horse-flesh  were  handed  round,  which  were  eagerly  devoured 
by  the  devout  followers  of  Odin ;  but  the  Christians  drew 
back  with  pious  horror,  as  the  dish  was  proffered  to  them,' 
partaking  instead  of  beef,  or  boar's  flesh. 

The  regular  toasts  having  been  disposed  of,  "  amidst  much 
minstrelsy  and  shouting,"  the  warriors  now  pledged  each 
other,  and  as  the  drinking  was  without  measure^  the  horns  were 
filled  and  emptied  so  often  that  but  few  of  the  bonders  were 
able  to  stand  without  support,  when  Burislaf,  whose  seasoned 
brain  was  proof  against  the  strongest  potations,  rapping  upon 
the  table,  called  upon  all  to  drink  from  the  rememhrance  bowl 
to  the  health  of  absent  friends,  and  next,  as  a  signal  that  the 
feast  was  ended,  ordered  i\iQ  farewell  ale  to  be  distributed. 

This  being  done,  the  guests  rose  in  a  body  and  drank  a 
bumper  as  a  parting  glass,  the  Vendlanders  crying  out  with 
one  accord,  as  they  turned  their  horns  bottom  upward, 
"'  Good  luck  and  a  fair  wind  to  Olaf  Tryggvesson  !  " 

Then  the  temple  was  left  to  its  accustomed  silence,  and 
the  Norsemen  and  Vendlanders,  in  every  conceivable  stage 
of  intoxication,  were  seen  staggering  homeward, — some  to 
their  ships,  some  to  the  tilts  stretched  along  the  shore,  and 
others  to  the  lofts  of  neio^hborino^  houses. 

When  Olaf  Tryggvesson  awoke  from  a  long  and  deep 
sleep,  he  found  many  of  his  principal  officers  stirring  around 
his  tent,  for  a  vague  rumor  of  what  was  going  on  in  Den- 
mark had  reached  them,  and  they  were  clamorous  to  get  on 
board  their  vessels  and  fight  their  way,  should  it  become 
necessary,  to  Norway ;  but  Earl  Sigvald,  who  took  care  to 
join  them  at  this  juncture,  laughed  aloud  at  the  report,  re- 
marking, as  was  quite  true,  that  King  Swend  would  never 
dare  with  his  force  alone  to  meet  the  famous  warriors  of  the 
North ;  and  when,  to  this  fine  speech,  he  added,  in  an  off- 


166  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

hand  way,  that  he  himself  would  lead  the  advance  with 
eleven  well-manned  dragons,  the  fears  of  the  most  anxious 
among  them  faded  away  before  his  cheery  words  and  presence, 
as  night-shadows  vanish  at  the  coming  of  the  orb  of  day. 


OLAF  TRYGGVESSON  SAILS  FROM  VENDLAND  FOR  NOR- 
WAY, AND  IS  ATTACKED  BY  THE  COMBINED  NAVAL 
FORCES  OF  DENMARK  AND  SWEDEN  AND  A  NORWE- 
GIAN EARL  NAMED  ERIC.  GREAT  BATTLE  OFF  STRAL- 
SUND. 

So  another  night  was  wasted  in  revelry ;  but  on  the  mor- 
row, the  war-horns  sounded  the  departure,  and  Earl  Sigvald, 
who  had  now  received  notice  from  Swend  that  the  combined 
fleets  had  sailed  from  Denmark  and  were  lying,  in  ambush,  as  it 
were,  in  a  sequestered  harbor  on  the  mainland,  near  the  site  of 
the  present  city  of  Stralsund,  took  the  lead  as  he  had  prom- 
ised, calling  out  merrily  to  the  king  of  Norway,  as  he 
passed  him,  to-  be  sure  and  sail  in  his  "  keel-track ;  "  "  for 
I  know  every  foot  of  the  way,"  said  he,  "  and  your  big  ship, 
like  a  huge  whale,  swims  best  in  deep  water." 

Thus  gayly  they  took  the  sea,  and,  as  the  breeze  was  light, 
the  snekars  greatly  outsailed  the  rest  of  the  fleet,  so  that  when 
the  confederates  came  out  from  their  place  of  concealment, 
they  had  long  been  lost  to  the  king's  view. 

At  this  critical  moment.  Earl  Sigvald,  lowering  his  sails, 
pulled  in  to  join  his  friends,  whereupon,  with  many  maledic- 
tions upon  the  traitor,  Olaf  commenced  making  preparations 
for  the  impending  conflict. 

For  hours  before  this.  Earl  Eric,  standing  on  a  high  hill, 
had  been  watching  for  him. 

He  had  counted  carefully  the  vessels  of  his  advance,  as 
they  sped  swiftly  by,  and  had  discouraged  any  attack  upon 
them  on  the  part  of  the  impatient  Swedes  and  Danes,  who 
were  eager  to  begin  the  fray. 

"  Nay,  nay,"  cried  he,  "  let  the  young  birds  fly  with  their 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  167 

white  wings.  We  shall  have  work  enough  to  capture  the 
old  eagle  when  he  comes,  even  though  he  be  alone." 

At  length  Earl  Sigvald's  squadron  was  seen  rounding  the 
Southern  point  of  Rugen  Island,  and  immediately  behind  it, 
a  fine  large  vessel,  which  the  king  of  Sweden  declared  must 
be  the  flag-ship. 

But  Earl  Eric  informed  him  that  it  was  the  Crane,  com- 
manded by  the  king's  uncle  Thorkel  Dyrdil. 

"  I  know  her,"  said  he,  "  by  the  colored  stripes  in  her 
sail,  and  by  her  high  stem  and  stern. 

"  She  is  long  and  narrow  and  goes  like  the  wind,  for  she 
pulls  sixty  oars,  but  she  is  not  to  be  compared  to  the  king's 
own  vessel.  The  Long  Serpent." 

Soon  after,  they  saw  three  ships  sailing  abreast,  and  one 
of  them  Eric  pointed  out  as  the  Short  Serpent,  a  vessel  which 
had  formerly  belonged  to  Raud  the  idolater,  and  which,  after 
he  had  captured  her,  the  king  offered  to  restore  to  Raud, 
provided  he  would  embrace  Christianity. 

But  this  the  idolater  obstinately  refused  to  do  ;  so  the 
king  forced  an  adder  into  his  mouth,  which  crept  down  his 
throat  and  gnawed  its  way  out  of  his  side ;  and  Raud  per- 
ished as  Roderick,  the  last  king  of  the  Goths,  had  perished 
more  than  two  centuries  before. 

Following  the  Short  Serpent  was  the  Odin,  which  Eric 
told  the  bystanders  had  been  captured  from  a  great  sorcerer 
named  Eyrind  Kellda.  "  He  had  a  fair  wind  with  him,"  said 
he,  "  wherever  he  went ;  and,  after  he  and  his  crew  were 
taken,  the  king  had  them  bound  securely  and  then  placed  at 
low-water  on  a  skerry  which  is  always  covered  when  the  tide 
comes  up.  It  stands  near  Kormt Island,  and  is  now  known  as 
the  Skerry  of  Shrieks r 

Then  came  three  more,  large  ships,  and  king  Swend  was 
exceedingly  anxious  that  the  Earl  should  get  afloat ;  but  Eric 
still 'kept  his  place. 

"They  have  many  more  biting  dragons  besides  the  Long 
Serpent,"  said  he  quietly,  "  let  us  wait  awhile." 


168  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

A  few  minutes  later,  however,  a  vessel  hove  in  sight 
which  was  so  much  larger  than  any  which  had  preceded  or 
was  following  it  that  it  needed  not  the  Earl's  affirmation  of 
the  fact,  to  convince  his  hearers  that  this  indeed  was  The 
Long  Serpent,  that  master-piece  of  the  great  ship-volundar 
Thorberg  Skafting.  For  she  loomed  upon  the  water,  like  a 
great  castle. 

Her  length  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  her 
breadth  of  beam,  at  the  midship  section,  nineteen,  while 
"her  bulwarks  were  as  high  as  those  of  a  sea-going  vessel." 

Her  hull  represented  the  body  of  a  dragon,  whose  head, 
projecting  well  beyond  the  bow,  served  as  a  raw,  while  its 
tail,  twisted  in  many  folds  about  the  stern,  ended  in  a  thick 
coil  just  above  the  tiller-head,  aiBPording  a  protection  for  the 
helmsman  in  bad  weather. 

The  richly-gilded  carved-work  on  each  side  of  the  stem 
and  stern  commemorated  various  incidents  in  the  life  of  the 
king,  as,  for  instance,  where,  in  tlie  Saltenfiord,  in  a  great 
tempest,  after  good  bishop  Sigurd  had  said  mass,  the  water 
suddenly  became  smooth  about  the  Crane,  the  king's  ship, 
while  at  a  little  distance  on  either  hand  "  the  waves  were 
lashing  up  so  high  that  they  hid  the  sight  of  the  mountains." 

And  again  where  the  king  entered  the  great  temple  of 
Thor  at  Drontheim,  regardless  alike  of  the  remonstrances 
and  threats  of  the  Diars,  or  priests,  and  in  the  presence  of  all 
the  people,  smote  the  image  of  the  god  with  his  battle-axe, 
so  that  it  fell  from  its  pedestal  to  the  floor. 

The  broad  blue  sail  of  the  mammoth  vessel  was  so  cut  as 
to  resemble  a  dragon's  wings,  while  the  shining  shields,  of 
various  colors  and  devices,  hung  over  the  rail,  from  stem  to 
stern,  well  simulated  the  scaly  sides  of  the  monster,  whose 
slimy  legs,  represented  by  the  dripping  oars  (which  when 
Earl  Eric  first  looked  were  still),  were  all  in  full  motion 
now,  as  if  the  Dragon  had  become  suddenly  alarmed,  or  was 
about  to  dart  upon  its  prey. 

Now  king  Swend  cried  out  to  his  men :  "  That  dragon 
shall  carry  me  this  evening,  and  I  will  steer  it." 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  169 

But  Earl  Eric  said,  quietly,  "  If  Olaf  Tryggvesson  had  no 
other  vessel  but  that,  you  could  not  take  it  from  him  with 
the  Danish  force  alone." 

Then  the  trumpeters  sounded  the  call  to  arms,  and  the 
allies  struck  their  tents,  and,  rushing  on  board  their  ships, 
commenced  clearing  them  for  action. 

It  may  be  remarked  here,  that  the  description  given  of 
the  Long  Serpent  will  serve  generally  for  all  the  vessels  ar- 
rayed against  each  other  in  this  battle,  the  difference  between 
them  being  only  in  their  dimensions,  the  color  and  cut  of 
their  sails,  and  the  fashion,  quality  and  quantity  of  their 
ornamental  work. 

Earl  Eric's  vessel,  which  was  to  play  so  conspicuous  a 
part  in  the  battle  and  which  he  called  the  Avenger,  was 
coal-black,  even  lier  masts  and  sails  being  of  this  dismal  hue. 

A  hideous  animal  supposed  to  resemble  the  wolf  Fenrir, 
which,  according  to  the  Scandinavian  mythology,  is  destined 
at  the  last  day  to  devour  mankind,  crouched.ijpon  her  figure- 
head, while  an  ugly  raven,  Odin's  favorite  bird,  and  "  the 
witch  wife's  horse,"  usurped  the  place  of  the  cock,  the  or- 
dinary weather  vane,  at  her  high  mast-head. 

Around  the  sides  of  the  Avenger  three  iron  bands  were 
fastened,  the  upper  two  of  which  connected  at  the  prow  with 
the  lowest  and  were  there  intertwined  with  it,  so.  that  the 
whole  formed  a  short  projecting  spur  designed  to  pierce  an 
enemy  at  the  water-line ;  and  on  the  bulwarks,  as  a  protec- 
tion against  boarders,  was  an  iron  comb  with  its  teeth  invert>- 
ed,  to  which  the  Earl  had  more  than  once  owed  his  exemp- 
tion from  death  oh  his  various  Viking-expeditions. 

As  the  confederate  fleet  drew  clear  of  the  land,  and  by 
its  colors  showed  the  nationality  of  the  various  vessels  of 
which  it  was  composed,  the  Norsemen  began  to  comprehend 
the  natui'e  of  the  combination  which  had  been  formed  against 
them,  and  as  their  present  force  of  twenty  vessels  was  out- 
numbered four  to  one,  they  strenuously  urged  upon  the 
king  the  .necessity  of  flight. 

12 


170  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

But  from  his  cliildhood  Olaf  had  delighted  in  strife  ;  and. 
sooth  to  say,  he  had  so  often  been  a  winner  against  fearful 
odds,  that  it  was  not  strange  he  should  be  over  confident 
now. 

"  I  have  never  yet  shown  ni}^  back  to  an  enemy,"  he 
cried  indignantly,  "  and  I  never  will !  " 

"  Let  God  dispose  of  my  life  as  best  pleases  Him.  Strike 
the  mast  and  sail  and  man  the  oars  that  the  rest  of  the  fleet 
may  follow  our  example." 

Then  turning  to  the  trumpeter,  who  stood  by  his  left  side, 
"  Sound  the  close  up  and  form  line,  Orm,"  said  he,  ••'  and  see 
thou  blowest  a  lively  blast  and  a  strong,  that  our  men  may 
know  we  are  in  good  heart." 

Then  Orm  Stoganef  raising  his  trumpet  to  his  lips,  blew 
so  cheery  a  peal,  that  no  man  thereafter  thought  of  flight ; 
'but  all,  bending  to  their  oars,  sought  to  gain  their  position  in 
the  line  of  battle,  as  speedily  as  possible. 

After  the  ships  had  got  abreast  of  each  other,  finding  they 
were  but  poorly  supplied  with  small,  hard  stones,  which  at 
that  period  under  the  name  of  hardsteinagriot  formed  so  im- 
portant a  part  of  the  ammunition  of  the  Baltic  mariners,  the 
king  changed  front  to  the  right,  and  threw  Rugen  Island 
directly  in  his  rear,  and  then  detached  four  of  his  smallest 
vessels — two  from  each  wing — to  bring  to  the  fleet  from  the 
island,  such  stones  as  could  be  collected  there  while  the  ac- 
tion was  going  on. 

The  king's  ship  occupied  the  middle  of  the  line  between 
the  Short  Serpent  and  the  Crane,  and  the  other  vessels  were 
ranged  to  starboard  and  port,  according '  to  their  size,  the 
largest  being  nearest  to  the  centre ;  and,  as  the  men  were 
about  to  lash  their  bows  together,  Norse  fashion,  the  king 
ordered  that  the  Long  Serpent's  stern  should  be  on  a  line 
with  the  Short  Serpent's  and  the  Crane's.  Then  said  Ulf 
Rode,  the  standard  bearer  : 

"  If  the  Long  Serpent  is  to  be  as  far  ahead  of  the  other 
vessels  as  she  is  longer  then  they,  we  shall  have  hai^d  work  of 
it  on  the  forecastle." 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  171 

But  the  king  replied :  "  If  I  have  willed  that  my  dragon 
should  be  longer  than  any  other,  it  is  that  all  may  see  her 
foremost  in  the  battle." 

"  That  might  do  well  enough  in  a  fair  fight,"  cried 
Kolbiorn,  the  marshal  (who  by  virtue  of  his  office  had  charge 
of  that  part  of  the  ship,  lying  between  the  prow  and  the  main- 
hold,  which  was  called  the  rausn.,  or  fore-defence),  "but  here 
where  we  are  so  greatly  out-numbered  we  shall  be  beset  on  all 
sides  and  my  gallant  berserkers,  invincible  as  they  seem,  can 
hardly  be  expected  to  defend  themselves  in  front  and  flank 
at  the  same  time." 

"  It  were  madness  so  to  expose  them !  "  exclaimed  Rode. 

"  I  did  not  know  until  now,"  retorted  the  king  angrily, 
"  that  I  had  a  coward  among  my  men." 

"  A  coward !  "  ejaculated  Ulf.  "  It  will  be  well  for  us 
this  day  if  you  defend  the  quarter-deck  as  I  defend  the  fore- 
castle." 

The  king,  without  reply,  seized  a  javelin  and  seemed 
about  to  cast  it  at  the  speaker's  head ;  but  the  sturdy  Rode 
moved  not  an  inch  aside  :  "  It  were  better  ft>r  you  not  to  be 
so  lavish  with  your  weapons,"  said  he  calmly.  "  You  will 
have  need  of  them  all  ere  long." 

"  True  enough,  Ulf,"  cried  Olaf,  throwing  the  javelin  high 
in  the  air  and  catching  it  by  its  handle  as  it  came  down, 
"  there  will  be  a  fine  arrow-song  in  our  ears  by  and  by,"  and 
then,  bursting  into  a  hearty  laugh,  he  continued.  "  It  will 
be  good  fun,  too,  pricking  the  flesh  of  those  soft  Swedes  and 
Danes ;  and  as  for  our  stem,  Ulf,  lash  it  as  best  pleases 
thee;  for  never  had  king  a  truer  or  braver  banner-man  than 
thou." 

The  call  to  quarters  was  now  sounded,  and  as,  contrary 
to  the  usual  custom- among  the  Norsemen,  there  was  no 
special  vessel  with  the  fleet,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  from 
it  such  articles  as  would  be  an  incumbrance  to  it  in  battle, 
each  captain  cleared  ship  for  action  by  sending  ashore  in  his 
boats  everything  that  he  did  not  actually  require.       Then 


172  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

the  tents  and  awnings,  "rolled  up  hard,"  were  placed  on 
the  high  forecastles,  after  the  manner  of  the  breastworks  and 
epaulements  of  a  shore  battery,  and  inside  of  them  the  grap- 
pling-irons, whose  long  hauling  lines,  neatly  coiled  down 
alongside  of  them,  were  secured  by  their  lower  ends  to  stout 
staples  in  the  deck. 

Fore  and  aft,  on  the  narrow  platforms  or  gangways  lead- 
ing just  inside  of  the  bulwarks,  from  the  poop  to  the  fore- 
castle decks,  were  ranged  huge  piles  of  stones,  and  great 
arm  chests  filled  with  weapons  of  every  description,  while 
along  the  rails  were  hung  the  shields,  which  being  of  metal, 
and  each  large  enough  to  carry  a  wariior  on  it  to  his  grave, 
afforded  an  excellent  protection  against  an  enemy's  missiles. 

Forward,  the  archers  were  drawn  up  in  two  ranks,  and 
in  their  rear,  three  deep,  the  spearmen  and  halberdiers,  while 
a  select  body  of  mail-clad  men,  stood  around  the  commander 
of  each  vessel,  completely  covering  him  with  their  shields, 
and  with  swords  drawn,  menacing  witlj  instant  death,  any 
who  should  be  bold  enough  to  venture  within  their  reach. 

The  king  stood  aft  on  the  Long  Serpent,  eagerly  watch- 
ing the  movements  of  his  foes. 

He  was  clad  in  full  armor,  over  which  he  wore  a  short 
red  cloak,  and  with  his  towering  form  and  high  plumed 
helmet  formed  the  most  conspicuous  figure  among  all  the 
famous  warriors  who  surrounded  him. 

Glancing  along  the  line,  he  observed  that  the  fleet  still 
had  the  banner  of  peace  flying  which  it  had  worn  in  Vend- 
land,  a  white  flag  with  a  lamb  in  the. centre  of  it. 

"  Ulf,"  he  cried,  "  this  will  never  do,  our  enemies  have 
made  up  their  minds  to  attack  us,  and,  by  the  Rood,  they 
shall  see  that  we  are  ready  for  them  !  Hoist  the  war  stand- 
ard!" 

Then  Ulf,  seizing  hold  of  the  signal  halliards,  rove 
through  a  block  at  the  top  of  an  immense  flag-pole  on  the 
starboard  side  of  the  forecastle  where  he  stood,  joyfully  bent 
on  a  large  red  flag,  and,  in  a  moment  after,  the  fiery,  winged 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  173 

dragon  which  it  bore,  was  soaring  high  above  the  prow,  amid 
the  prolonged  cheering  of  the  whole  fleet. 

The  king  rubbed  his  hands  gleefully  as  the  sound  greeted 
his  ears  :  "  Those  who  came  to  shear,"  said  he,  "  are  likely 
to  return  shorn,  for  our  dragon  scratches  terribly.  Now  let 
them  come  on  !  " 

His  order  of  battle  was  a  strong  one  indeed  ;  for  his  line 
was  formed  directly  across  the  mouth  of  a  little  deep-water 
cove,  so  that  his  flanking  vessels  rested  upon  the  land ;  and 
as  there  was  a  light  wind  and  current  setting  directly  into 
the  cove,  a  single  sweep  from  the  stern  of  each  vessel,  easily 
kept  the  fleet  in  position. 

The  confederate  fleet  now  formed  in  three  lines,  half  a 
mile  apart,  and  moved  rapidly  to  the  attack. 

The  first  line,  wearing  the  Danish  colors,  soon  came 
within  bow-shot  of  the  Norsemen,  who  fairly  covered  it  with 
arrows,  killing  and  wounding  many  of  its  principal  officers 
and  men  ;  yet  it  continued  steadily  onward,  through  this 
and  the  javelin  tempest  that  followed,  until  it  was  stem  to 
stem  with  the  enemy,  when  a  close  hand-to-hand  conflict 
ensued. 

The  second  line  following  the  first  into  action,  under 
the  leadership  of  the  Swedish  king,  kept  close  in  its  rear, 
hastening  to  re-enforce  it  with  vessels  and  men,  whenever  the 
exigencies  of  battle  made  it  necessary. 

The  third  line,  led  by  Earl  Eric,  and  carefully  preserving 
its  distance  from  the  second,  stopped  short  as  the  latter 
neared  the  enemy,  and  apparently  took  no  further  interest  in 
the  engagement,  an  occasional  shaft  discharged  from  the 
Avenger  in  the  direction  of  the  Long  Serpent,  being  the 
only  indication  given  of  its  hostility  to  the  Norsemen. 

By  this  time  however,  the  battle  was  raging  furiously  in 
the  front,  and  king  Swend's  vessel,  a  very  large  and  fine  one 
called  the  Royal  Dane, '  had  become  directly  engaged  with 
the  Long  Serpent ;  but  it  was  a  common  saying,  among  sea- 
men, that  the  Long  Serpent's  crew  as  far  excelled  other  men 


174  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

in  braver}',  strength,  and  daring,  and  the  skilful  use  of  arms, 
as  their  great  ship  excelled  other  ships  in  beauty  and  grandeur: 
so  the  Royal  Dane  was-  soon  captured,  scuttled  and  sunk, 
and  king  Swend  had  to  fly  for  safety  to  the  Big  Dragon, 
Olaf,  the  Swede's  flag-ship,  which  in  her  turn  boldly  engag- 
ing the  Serpent,  shared  the  fate  of  her  consort ;  for  Kolbiorn, 
the  marshal  throwing  a  grapnel  aboard  of  her,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  his  gallant  for ecastlemen,  dragging  her  close  to, 
gave  the  word  to  board,  and  in  a  trice,  her  deck  was  cleared  of 
defenders  and  a  large  hole  bored  in  her  bottom  ;  whereupon 
the  Danish  king  had  again  to  seek  protection  in  flight,  this 
time  accompanied  by  his  royal  brother. 

In  this  way  many  more  tall  ships,  both  of  the  Swedes  and 
the  Danes  were  destroyed  all  along  the  line,  and  yet  the 
array  of  the  Norsemen  had  not  been  broken,  nor  a  single 
vessel  of  theirs  destroyed  or  captured,  while  their  wild  cheer- 
ing gave  evidence  of  their  unflagging  spirit  and  enthu- 
siasm. 

Then  Earl  Eric  aroused  from  his  apparent  lethargy :  "  I 
thought  those  Danes  and  Swedes  would  find  they  had  caught 
a  vulture,"  said  he  to  his  brother,  Swend,  who  was  standing 
beside  him.  "  It  is  high  time  for  us  to  be  moving,  let  the 
war  horns  signal  to  my  division  to  move  to  the  right  I " 

A  single  trumpet  blast  was  now  heard  from  the  Avenger, 
followed  by  one  from  a  vessel  on  each  flank;  and  imme- 
diately the  division  swung  to  starboard,  and,  in  the  order 
which  we  now  call  "  column  of  vessels,"  pulled  to  the  right, 
about  two  or  three  miles,  when  it  came  to  port  again  and 
entered  a  wide  semi-circular  inlet,  whose  bold  water  permit- 
ted it  to  lie  alongside  the  shore. 

The  object  of  this  movement  became  evident  a  few 
minutes  thereafter,  when  a  hundred  stout  fellows,  carrying 
the  banner  of  Earl  Swend,  were  seen  wending  their  way 
along  a  narrow,  craggy  road,  toward  a  high  cliff  which  over- 
hung the  closing  vessel  of  the  Norsemen's  left ;  for  a  few  big 
rocks,  tumbled  headlong  from  the  height,  must  inevitably 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  175 

have  fallen  upon  and  crushed  the  vessel,  and  thus  have  open- 
ed a  way  for  an  attack  upon  Olaf's  left  flank  and  rear  by  Earl 
Eric,  while  his  front  was  still  hard  pressed  by  the  Swedes  and 
Danes. 

But  Olaf  Tryggvesson  had  fought  too  many  times,  both 
ashore  and  afloat,  to  be  out-witted  thus ;  and  so  the  assailants, 
pressing  forward  in  a  confused  mass,  had  no  sooner  got  with- 
in fifty  yards  of  the  cliff,  than  some  twenty  of  their  number 
went  down  under  the  '^arrow-rain"  of  a  chosen  body  of 
archers  who  had  been  lying  in  wait  for  them  in  front,  while 
a  company  of  spearmen  from  the  vessels  detached  by  Olaf 
to  gather  stones,  advanced  upon  them  from  the  rear.  Thus 
situated,  there  was  no  alternative  but  retreat,  and  with  a  loss 
of  over  half  their  number,  they  withdrew  precipitately  to 
their  ships. 

As  the  discomfited  Swend  went  over  the  side  of  the 
Avenger,  Eail  Eric  hastened  to  meet  him  at  the  gangway. 
"  It  was  my  fault,  brother,"  said  he,  "  I  might  have  known 
that  that  famous  old  sea-dog  would  never  have  left  one  of 
his  flanks  unguarded.  We  must  resort  to  another  expe- 
dient." 

He  now  took  two  of  his  oldest  ships  and  filled  them  with 
all  the  combustible  matter  he  could  obtain,  and,  after  towing 
them  to  a  position  opposite  to  the  enemy,  and  warnitig  the 
Swedes  to  clear  the  way,  had  them  joined  together  by  a  long 
chain,  fired  and  set  adrift  in  .the  full  expectation  of  seeing 
them  borne  by  the  wind  and  current  directly  against  the 
particular  dragons  he  aimed  to  destroy  ;  but  the  Norsemen, 
manning  their  boats,  towed  the  burning  vessels  clear  of 
their  line,  and  the  Earl  had  the  mortification  of  seeing  them 
consumed  to  the  water's  edge,  without  damage  to  any  but 
himself. 

Baffled  in  this,  he  repeated  the  experiment  with  two  fire- 
ships  under  full  sail ;  but,  the  enemy  boarding  them,  and 
lowering  their  sails,  they  too  went  wide  of  their  mark,  and 
drifted  harmlessly  aAvay. 


176  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

The  confederates  had  now  lost  in  all,  twenty-three 
vessels,  and  their  trumpeters,  by  king  Swend's  order,  loudly 
sounding  the  retreat,  they  withdrew  out  of  bowshot  of  the 
enemy.  Then,  after  a  short  conference  between  their  lead- 
ers, a  new  disposition  of  their  forces  was  made,  and  the 
attack  renewed,  the  Danes  and  Swedes  being  this  time  in 
three  lines  extending  from  the  Norsemen's  extreme  right,  to 
the  fourth  vessel  from  the  left,  opposite  to  which,  at  the 
distance  of  half  a  mile,  Eric's  division  of  sixteen  dragons,  was 
seen  drawn  up  in  double  column,  and  midway  between  it 
and  the  enemy,  the  Earl's  own  vessel  bearing  "  The  Enchant- 
ed Banner,"  which  with  all  its  embroidered  work,  represent- 
ing an  erne  with  open  beak  and  flapping  wings — a  year's 
full  task  for  an  ordinary  needle — was  made  by  king  Swend's 
three  sisters  in  a  single  night. 

At  a  signal  given  by  Eric,  the  two  leading  vessels  of  the 
column  moved  forward,  and  passing  him  at  full  speed,  with 
their  men  at  quarters,  all  loudly  singing  the  Biarkamal 
(the  ancient  war-song  of  the  Scandinavians),  swept  grandly 
toward  the  enemy ;  but  so  terrible  was  the  storm  of  arrows, 
stones,  javelins  and  darts  that  greeted  them  on  their  near 
approach,  that  their  oarsmen,  wounded  and  bleeding,  were 
forced  to  relinquish  their  oars,  and  they  must  have  fallen 
into  the  enemy's  hands,  had  not  the  Avenger,  hastening 
to  their  assistance,  towed  them  out  of  action. 

The  next  vessels,  with  an  improvised  mantelet  of  shields 
over  the  heads  of  their  rowers,  struck  full  and  fair  against  the 
enemy,  but  lashed  together,  as  his  dragons  were,  it  was  like 
striking  a  granite  rock,  and  the  assailants  with  their  bows 
stove  in,  foundered  instantly  with  all  on  board ;  the  carrying 
away  of  the  ram  of  their  flank-closer,  a  heavily  built  ship, 
called  the  Sea  Horse,  being  the  only  injury  sustained  by 
the  Norsemen  in  this  rough  encounter;  yet,  scanning  closely 
the  damaged  vessel,  Eric  observed  that  she  seemed  to  be 
down  by  the  head.  ''She  is  leaking  forward,"  said  he,  "now 
is  our  opportunity  ! "      His  horns  sounded  a  charge  as  he 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  177 

spoke,  and  the  next  instant  the  Sea-  Horse,  pierced  by  the 
Avenger's  spur,  commenced  settling  fast,  and  the  "  sun- 
dried  ropes,"  which  bound  lier  to  her  next  on  the  right, 
being  cut  by  her  crew,  as  they  abandoned  her,  the  king  of 
Norway's  left  flank  was  at  last  exposed  to  his  enemies. 

It  took  but  little  time  now  for  Eric  to  lead  his  division 
into  the  cove  and  capture  the  squadron  there,  after  which  he 
'  returned  to  his  attack  upon  the  end  of  the  line,  always 
engaging  its  outer  vessel  in  front  and  -flank,  with  the 
Avenger,  and  another  dragon  which  he  took  with  him  for 
the  purpose,  while  the  rest  of  his  division,  remaining  in  the 
cove,  attacked  the  Norsemen  everywhere  in  rear. 

One  after  another  the  vessels  of  the  enemy's  left  wing 
fell  into  the  Earl's  hands,  \yho,  as  fast  as  he  got  possession  of 
them,  cut  their  lashings  and  let  them  drive,  while  the  Danes 
and  Swedes,  encouraged  by  his  valor  and  following  his 
example,  met  with  equal  success  on  the  right,  so  that  the 
allies  gradually  n eared  each  other,  and  finally  came  together 
around  the  Long  Serpent,  which,  left  to  its  own  resources 
for  defense,  resembled  the  citadel  of  a  beleaguered  fortress 
whose  outer  walls  have  all  been  carried  by  the  foe.  Yet  all 
the  mighty  Norsemen  who  had  not  been  laid  low,  were  now 
gathered  together  on  board  the  Serpent ;  so  that  her  bul- 
warks were  lined  with  mail-clad  men,  while  in  the  "  shield 
circle  "  about  the  king,  there  was  not  a  single  warrior  whose 
name  was  unknown  to  fame.  On  the  forecastle  still  stood 
Kolbiorn  and  sturdy  IJlf  Kode,  while  around  them  clustered 
that  chosen  body  of  men  called  Berserkers  who  were  bound 
by  an  oath  never  to  desert  their  chief.  Disdaining  the  use 
of  armor,  these  fierce  barbarians  bravely  exposed  their  naked 
bodies  to  the  foe,  and,  from  their  ferocity  in  battle,  were  said 
to  be  fed  on  wolves'  hearts,  torn  from  the  animals  while  they 
yet  lived,  and  eaten  raw  or  seethed  in  human  blood. 

The  kings  of  Denmark  and  Sweden  and  Earl  Eric  stood  on 
the  prows  of  their  respective  flag-ships,  where  covers  of  shields 
had  been  set  up,  and  directed  the  movements  of  their  men. 


178       THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Some  wielded  swords,  some  spears,  and  others  battle-axe  or 
lance  ;  others  again  used  the  bow  or  threw  javelins  or  stones 
by  hand. 

The  crew  of  the  Serpent,  on  the  other  hand,  from  their 
height  above  their  assailants,  fairly  rained  down  on  them 
missiles  of  every  kind,  and  occasionally,  a  caldron  of  some 
boiling  liquid,  poured  upon  their  crowded  decks,  put  many  a 
brave  fellow  to  flight. 

The  loss  on  both  sides  now  was  fearful,  but  with  this 
difference  in  favor  of  the  allies,  that  whenever  a  man  was 
stricken  down  in  one  of  their  dragons  nearest  the  enemy, 
another  stepped  into  his  station  from  an  outside  vessel,  while 
there  were  none  to  supply  the  places  of  the  killed  and  wound- 
ed on  board  the  Serpent ;  until  at  last,  her  crew  was  reduced 
to  such  straits  that  the  king  himself  had  to  keep  guard  at  the 
gangway,"  always  throwing,"  says  his  chronicler,  "  two  spears 
at  once." 

By  his  side  stood  the  great  bow-shooter,  Einar  Tamber- 
skelver,  and  around  him  were  the  scalds.^  who  were  to  record 
his  heroism  and  his  deeds  of  prowess  in  those  rude  rhymes, 
which,  through  nearly  nine  centuries,  have  come  down  to  our 
times. 

"  Shoot  me  that  tall  soldier  there,  Finn,"  said  Earl  Eric, 
pointing  to  Einar  Tamberskelver.  *'  I  know  the  fellow  well, 
for  he  served  under  my  father,  and  he  is  the  best  marksman 
in  all  Norway." 

"I  know  him  too,"  said  the  man  addressed,  a  low,  broad- 
shouldered  Laplander,  *•  and  I  will  do  my  best  to  pierce  his 
breastplate." 

Finn  shot,  and  the  arrow,  hitting  the  middle  of  Ein^r's 
bow,  just  as  the  famous  archer  was  about  drawing  it,  the 
bow  split  with  a  loud  noise  in  two.  "  What  is  that  ?  "  cried 
Olaf,  turning  quickly  in  the  direction  of  the  sound. 

"Norway  king  has  parted  from  thy  grasp  !  "  was  Einar's 
startling  reply,  as  he  gazed  mournfully  at  the  fragments  of 
the  weapon  remaining  in  his  hands. 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  179 

"  Nay,  nay,"  cried  the  king,  cheerily,  "  say  not  so,  valiant 
Einar — Take  my  bow  and  try  again." 

Einar  took  the  proffered  bow,  and  carefully  adjusting  a 
shaft  to  it,  discharged  it  at  Earl  Eric's  breast ;  but  although 
it  struck  full  and  fair  upon  the  EarFs  corslet  it  failed  to 
penetrate  it,  and  fell  shattered  to  atoms  at  his  feet. 

"  Too  weak,  too  weak,  king,"  cried  the  disappointed 
archer,  flinging  the  bow  contemptuously  from  him — "  I  will 
not  shoot  it  again."  Then,  seizing  lance  and  shield,  he  con- 
tinued fighting  bravely  until  he  fell  desperately  wounded  at 
Olaf's  feet. 

The  king  looked  along  the  Serpent's  rail  and  "  saw  that 
his  men  struck  briskly  with  their  swords  yet  wounded  sel- 
dom." "Why  do  you  strike  so  gently?"  he  asked.  "Our 
blades  are  blunt  and  full  of  notches ! "  was  the  reply. 

Then  he  had  new  arms  taken  from  the  arm-chest,  and 
distributed  fore  and  aft ;  but  they  cut  no  better  than  the 
others,  for  in  truth,  the  men  who  were  using  them  were  .en- 
tirely worn  out ;  yet,  attributing  their  failure  "not  to  their 
own  exhaustion  but  to  supernatural  causes,  they  whispered 
darkly  to  one  another — for  they  were  but  half  Christianized 
after  all — "  that  Odin  was  fighting  with  their  enemies." 

At  the  same  time  blood  was  observed  to  be  dripping  from 
the  king's  steel  gauntlets,  and  the  defence  visibly  relaxed. 

Then  Earl  Eric  ordered  a  couple  of  masts,  with  stout 
cleats  nailed  upon  them,  to  be  brought  to  him,  and  laying 
one  of  them  from  the  poop  of  his  vessel  and  the  other  from 
the  prow  upon  the  bulwarks  of  the  Serpent,  he  attempted  to 
board  his  enemy  in  two  places,  he  leading  one  set  of  boarders 
and  his  brother  the  other. 

Earl  Swend's  party  were  met  by  the  king  and  quickly 
driven  back  to  their  ship  ;  but  Earl  Eric  with  a  half-dozen 
of  his  men  gained  the  forecastle  of  the  Long  Serpent,  and 
killing  the  few  berserkers  who  yet  remained  alive  there, 
rushed  aft  as  far  as  the  main-hold  where  he  hoped  to  join 
forces  with  his  brother  ;  but  being  met  instead  by  the  king's 


180        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

brother-in-law,  Thorolf  Hyrming,  and  his  uncle  Thorkel 
Dyrdel,  with  other  warriors  of  note,  he  was  forced,  after  a  des- 
perate struggle,  to  fall  back  upon  the  deck  of  the  Avenger. 
Boarding  the  second  time,  however,  he  was  more  successful, 
anti  after  a  brief  but  sharp  encounter,  found  himself  in  full 
possession  of  the  enemy's  deck,  while  Olaf  Tryggvesson, 
wounded  to  the  death,  Kolbiorn,  and  Ulf  Rode  with  the 
king's  standard  wrapped  around  his  body,  were  all  that  were 
left  of  the  defenders  of  the  Long  Serpent. 

"  Now  yield  thee,  king,  my  prisoner  !  "  cried  the  Earl  ad- 
vancing upon  him. 

"  To  a  traitor  never !  "  shouted  the  dying  hero,  as,  throw- 
ing his  sword  into  the  sea,  he  jumped  after  it,  crimsoning  the 
water  with  his  blood,  and  followed  by  his  banner-man  and 
marshal. 

The  noise  of  the  strife  had  ceased  and  Earl  Eric  was  lean- 
ing wearily  on  his  sword,  by  the  side  of  the  king  of  Denmark, 
when  Earl  Sigvald  approached  with  his  wife  Astrid. 

King  Swend  received  the  Viking  most  graciously,  but 
Earl  Eric  refused  his  offered  hand.  "  I  fought  against  the 
king  of  Norway,"  said  he,  "  because  I  had  to  avenge  my 
father's  death  ;  but  I  fought  openly.  You,  Earl  Sigvald,  ate 
of  his  bread  and  drank  with  him  the  good  luck  ale  and  then 
betrayed  him  ;  and  I  would  rather  this  moment  be  that  main- 
mast of  battle,  Olaf  Tryggvesson,  dead,  than  Earl  Sigvald, 
his  betrayer,  alive." 

Then  Astrid's  full  heart  welled  up  into  her  eyes,  and 
her  weeping  was  like  the  autumn  rain. 

"  I  thought  it  strange,"  said  she,  addressingher  husband, 
"that  you  went  not  to  the  king  of  Norway's  assistance,  but! 
had  no  idea  you  had  lured  him  into  a  snare.  Nor  did  I  know 
that  a  Viking,  the  descendant  of  Vikings,  had  fallen  so  low  as 
to  become  a  spy.  ''  Hereafter  you  are  dead  to  me,  and  I  will 
live  in  rny  father's  house  a  widow  to  my  dying  day."  As  she 
ceased  speaking,  the  indignant  woman  jumped  into  a  Vend- 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  181 

land  cutter  and  was  soon  far  away.  Her  husband  would 
have  followed  her,  but  was  prevented  by  the  warriors  pres- 
ent ;  and  it  is  recorded  that  he  never  saw  her  face  again. 

"  Kolbiorn,  the  marshal,  was  captured  in  the  water  and 
his  life  spared,  but  Ulf  Rode  swam  to  the  island,  where  he 
was  warmly  greeted  by  a  handful  of  his  comrades,  who,  like 
himself,  had  made  their  way  in  safety  to  the  shore. 

But  the  trusty  banner-man  was  sorely  wounded,  and  he 
knew  that  his  last  hour  was  at  hand ;  so,  when  night  had 
fairly  set  in,  he  induced  his  companions  to  step  the  mast  of 
one  of  the  vessels  that  had  been  cut  adrift  by  Earl  Eric  and 
Avas  floating  about  the  cove,  and  to  make  a  funeral  pyre  of 
tar-wood  in  its  fore-hold;  then,  having  the  tiller  lashed  amid- 
ships and  the  great  sail  hoisted  with  its  yard  laid  square, 
he  jumped  on  board  and  bade  them  good-bye,  and  set- 
ting fire  to  the  pyre  in  several  places  threw  himself  flat 
upon  it. 

The  wind  had  changed  since  the  morning,  and  was  now 
blowing  strongly  off  the  land,  and  the  ship  fairly  flew,  burn- 
ing in  clear  flame,  out  into  the  open  sea.  "  Great  was  the 
fame  of  this  deed  in  after  times." 

Of  the  lamented  king  of  Norway  many  strange  tales  were 
told ;  the  Christians  asserting  that  he  made  his  escape  with 
Astrid  in  the  Vendland  cutter  and  died  a  palmer  in  the 
Holy  Land,  while  the  worshippers  of  Odin,  singularly  enough, 
declared  he  had  been  carried  by  the  god  in  his  good  ship 
Skidbladnir  (built  by  "  the  dwarfs  "  and  so  curiously  con- 
structed that  it  could  be  "  rolled  up  like  a  cloth  ")  straight 
to  Asgaard  the  Scandinavian  heaven. 

The  truth  is,  he  sunk  under  the  weight  of  his  heavy 
armor  in  full  five  fathoms  water  and  was  drowned;  and  if 
his  body  was  ever  recovered  it  was  privately  interred,  and 
no  record  of  the  fact  kept  for  mankind. 

When  the  news  of  his  defeat  and  death  reached  Norway, 
there  was  a  cry  of  anguish  throughout  the  land ;  a^^d  all  the 
women  mourned  for  him  as  Freya  in  Asgaard  mourns  for  the 


182  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

lost  Odur  ;  "  for  he  was,"  says  Carlj^e,  "  the  wildly  beauti- 
fullest  man,  in  body  and  in  soul,  that  one  has  ever  heard  of 
in  the  North." 


EARL  ERIC  USURPS  THE  SOVEREIGNTY  OF  NORWAY. 

Norway  was  now  held  in  fief  for  the  crowns  of  Denmark 
and  Sweden,  respectively,  by  Earls  Eric  and  Swend,  "  who 
allowed  themselves  to  be  baptized  and  took  up  the  true 
faith ;  but  held  fast  by  the  old  laws  and  all  the  old  rights  and 
customs  of  the  land,  and  were  excellent  men  and  good 
brothers ; "  but  about  1014  A.  D.  Eric,  whose  wife  was  Gyda, 
daughter  of  Swend  Forked  Beard,  and  consequently  sister  of 
Canute,  was  summoned  by  this  truly  great  monarch  who  had 
just  ascended  the  throne  of  Denmark,  to  accompany  him  on  an 
expedition  westward  to  England,  and  as  "  the  Earl  would 
not  sleep  upon  the  message  of  the  king,  but  sailed  immediately 
out  of  the  country,"  Norway  was  left  in  the  k-eeping  of  his 
son  Earl  Hakon,  a  youth  of  but  seventeen  years  of  age,  and 
was  soon  in  the  possession  of  one  of  the  royal  race  of  Haar- 
fagers  again,  Olaf,  Harald  Groenske's  son,  known  in  history 
as  Olaf  Haraldsson,  the  Saint. 

OLAF  HARALDSSON,  THE  SAINT. 

Like 'Olaf  Tryggvesson,  Olaf  Haraldsson  went  to  sea  at 
an  early  age,  and,  although  he  was  but  a  "common  rower" 
when  he  made  his  first  cruise  under  "  R^ne,  the  far-travelled," 
he  was  addressed  by  his  shipmates  as  king,  since  it  was  the 
custom  to  bestow  this  title  upon  all  youths  of  kingly  descent 
when  they  first  went  afloat,  although  they  had  no  land  or 
kingdom — a  title,  which,  it  may  be  remarked,  they  generally 
made  good,  by  exercising  a  pretty  rigid  sovereignty  over  the 
seas  which  they  scoured  in  their  Viking  enterprises. 

Being 'of  a  warlike  'temper,  it  was  not  long  before  Olaf 
was  in  command  of  several  vessels  and  he  was  spoken  of  as 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  183 

an  expert  seaman  and  able  commander  before  he  had  attained 
his  twentieth  birthday. 

Once,  while  cruising  in  the  gulf  of  Finland,  he  was  in 
a  dreadful  storm,  "  conjured  up  in  the  night  by  the  heathens ; 
but  the  king's  seamanship  prevailing  more  than  the  Finland- 
ers'  witchcraft  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  beat  round  the 
Balagard's  side  and  so  got  out  to  sea."  On  another  occasion, 
he  was  running  for  Sotholm,  Sweden,  and  had  just  got  with-- 
in  the  Skiergard  or  Skerry-gard,  the  name  given  to  the  belt 
of  rocks  and  rocky  islets  which  protect  the  shores  of  Norway 
and  Sweden  from  the  violence  of  the  ocean,  when  he  was  con- 
fronted by  a  fleet  much  larger  than  his  own,  manned  by 
Jomsburg  Vikings,  the  most  daring  of  all  the  many  freeboot- 
ers of  the  North,  and  commanded  by  Soto,  a  leader  of  fame 
and  experience. 

Of  the  fight  that  followed,  we  have  no  details,  simply  a 
disjointed  account  from  which  we  are  only  able  to  gather 
that  it  was  a  very  desperate  one,  lasting  manj^  hours,  and 
that  laying  his  ships  between  some  "  blind  rocks,"  which 
made  it  difficult  for  the  Vikings  to  get  alongside,  and  throwing 
grappling  irons  into  the  vessels  which  came  nearest  to  him, 
and  clearing  them  of  men,  Olaf  finally  put  his  assailants  to 
flight  with  a  loss  both  of  vessels  and  reputation.  Shortly 
after  this  being  '-'-  blocked  up  in  lake  Mala3re  by  the  land 
and  naval  forces  of  the  Swedish  king,  he  cut  a  canal  across 
the  flat  land  Agnafet,  out  to  the  sea.  "Now  over  all 
Swithiod,"  says  the  chronicle,  the  "running  waters  fall  into 
the  Malaere  lake ;  whose  only  outlet  to  the  sea  is  so  small  that 
many  rivers  are  wider ;  and  when  much  rain  or  snow  falls, 
the  water  rushes  in  a  great  cataract  out  by  Stokesund,  and 
the  lake  rises  high  and  floods  the  land.  It  fell  heavy  rain 
just  at  this  time,  and,  as  the  canal  was  dug  out  to  the  sea,  the 
water  and  stream  rushed  into  it.  Then  Olaf  had  all  the  rud- 
ders unshipped,  and  hoisted  all  sail  alpft.  It  was  blowing  a 
strong  breeze  astern,  and  they  steered  with  their  oars,  and 
the  ships  came  in  a  rush  over  the  shallows,,  and  got  into  the 


184  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

sea  without  any  damage,  whereat  the  Swedish  king  was  ex- 
ceedingly enraged.  This  passage  has  since  been  called  King's 
Sound,  but  large  vessels  cannot  pass  through  it  unless  the 
waters  are  very  high." 


OLAF,  THE    SAINT,  ASSAULTS    AND    DESTROYS    LONDON 
BRIDGE  WITH  HIS  FLEET. 

But  Olaf's  greatest  naval  achievement,  and  the  one  for 
which  he  was  most  celebrated  in  after  times,  was  the  taking 
of  London  in  1014  A.  D.  from  the  Danes,  Avhom  he,  not  un- 
naturally, regarded  as  the  born  enemies  of  his  family.  This 
event  happened  just  after  the  death  of  Swend  Forked  Beard, 
when  Ethelred  the  Unready,  upon  the  invitation  of  the 
English  prelates  and  nobility,  had  returned  to  England  from 
Norway  and  invited  all  men  who  Would  enter  his  pay  to  join 
him  in  recovering  his  country ;  *'  whereupon  many  people 
flocked  to  him,  and  among  others  king  Olaf  and  his  Marshal 
with  a  great  troop  of  Northmen." 

In  a  War  Thing,  it  was  determined  that  the  allies  should 
endeavor  to  get  possession  of  London,  as  a  preliminary  step 
to  further  operations,  and,  for  this  purpose,  the  English  and 
Norse  fleets  ascended  the  Thames  together,  while  an  English 
army  marched  along  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  keeping  the 
vessels  always  in  view.  So  soon  as  the  city  was  reached,  an 
attack  was  made  upon  the  castle,  a  stone  fortification  of 
considerable  strength  occupying  the  site  of  the  present 
Tower,  and  this  enterprise  having  failed,  through  the 
desperate  valor  of  its  Danish  defenders,  it  was  resolved 
to  make  an  attempt  on  Sudrviki  (Southwark)  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  stream.  But  Southwark,  besides 
being  surrounded  by  a  deep  ditch  and  a  high  wall, 
was  connected  with  the  castle  by  a  bridge  (''so  broad 
that  two  wagons  could  pass  each  other  upon  it"),  having 
stone  turrets  erected  at  regular  intervals  across  its  entire 
leng^th,  between  which  were  strong  wooden  parapets  afford- 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  185 

ing  ample  shelter  to  quite  an  army  of  men ;  and  Olaf,  in  a 
council  held  in  king  Ethelred's  tent,  gave  it  as  his  opinion 
that  no  assault  on  the  works  on  either  side  of  the  Thames 
could  be  successful,  so  long  as  the  means  of  communication 
between  their  large  garrisons  were  such  that  the  one  force 
could  readily  march  to  the  assistance  of  the  other.  "  And 
so  the  Great  Bridge  must  come  down  !  "  he  cried.  "  Easily 
said,"  remonstrated  an  English  Earl,  "  but  how  are  we  to 
get  at  it?" 

"  With  our  fleets,  was  the  bold  response,  and  I  myself 
will  lead  the  way  to  it !  "  But  at  this  proposition  Ethelred 
the  unready  looked  aghast,  while  even  old  Rane,  Olafs 
foster-father,  who  had  been  with  him  in  many  a  desperate 
encounter,  shook  his  head  disapprovingly.  Then  Olaf 
drawing  from  its  sheath  his  good  sword  Knikarr,^  afterwards 
so  famous  in  story,  and  reverently  kissing  the  cross  on  its  hilt, 
swore  by  Christ's  blood  either  to  destroy  the  bridge  or  perish 
in  the  attempt.  Carried  away  by  his  heroism,  all  the  Naval 
commanders  vowed  to  follow  him  to  the  death,  and  when 
the  assembly  broke  up  at  nightfall,  repaired  forthwith  to 
their  vessels,  to  make  preparations  for  the  meditated  attack, 
which  it  was  agreed  should  come  off  just  before  sunrise  on 
the  morrow.  The  intervening  time  was  passed  by  the  Anglo- 
Saxons,  according  to  their  custom  before  a  battle,  in  revelry 
and  feasting,  but  on  board  the  Norse  vessels,  the  sound  of 
the  hammer  and  hatchet  was  heard  all  the  night  through, 
and  when  morning  came,  there  was  not  one  of  them  but  had 
a  stout  roof  over  it,  whose  sloping  sides,  well  supported  by 
huge  upright  timbers,  nearly  reached  the  water. 

The  Thames  now  presented  an  animated  panorama, 
which  to  one  ignorant  of  what  was  transpiring  there,  would 
have  seemed  a  holiday  spectacle,  for  everywhere  along  its 
banks,  were  to  be  discerned  the  banners  of  the  opposing 
armies,  and  great  bodies  q^'horsemen  and  foot  soldiers  mov- 
ing to  and  fro,  while  the  river  itself  was  alive  with  war-ships, 
having  their  largest    ensigns    hoisted,    and    sending  forth. 


186  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE   WORLD, 

hither  and  thither  across  the  stream,  some  for  provisions, 
others  for  arms  or  ammunition,  myriads  of  boats,  gayly 
painted  and  ornamented  with  gilding,  from  whose  tiny  flag- 
poles drooped  the  miniature  colors  of  the  nation  to  which  they 
belonged. 

Just  after  daylight  a  great  flourish  of  trumpets  was 
heard  from  King  Ethelred's  tent,  a  signal  for  both  fleets  to 
get  under  way  ;  and  shortly  afterward,  the  English  vessels, 
which  had  been  anchored  below  the  Norsemen,  but  were  now 
to  lead  the  advance,  rowed  by  King  Olaf's  dragon,  the  Charl- 
emagne, sounding  their  war-horns,  and  dipping  their  flags  to 
her  as  they  passed ;  and  although  their  arra}^  was  very  irreg- 
ular, for  it  was  not  until  some  centuries  after  this  period, 
that  the  English  acquired  that  reputation  for  superior  sea- 
manship, which  they  maintain  in  our  day  ;  yet  was  it  a  gallant 
sight  to  behold  these  fiery  Anglo-Saxons,  who  disdained  even 
the  cover  of  their  shields,  moving  steadily  forward,  and,  not- 
withstanding that  they  fell  like  November  leaves  before  a 
storm,  as  they  got  within  range  of  the  enemy,  still  pressing 
onward  until  their  ships  actually  touched  the  bridge  with 
their  prows.  Then,  however,  great  masses  of  rock,  and  lime- 
stone were  rolled  down  upon  them,  breaking  their  decks, 
smashing  their  oars,  and  involving  rowers  and  men-at-aims 
alike  in  one  common  ruin,  from  which  no  valor  could  extri, 
cate  them,  and  the  English  fleet  drifted  helplessly  down  the 
river,  until  it  was  full  a  league  below  the  castle,  when,  with- 
the  assistance  of  reinforcements  from  the  army,  it  reformed 
and  pulled  up  in  rear  of  the  Norsemen.  It  was  now  the  turn 
of  these  to  attack,  and  they  were  not  slow  to  avail  themselves 
of  the  opportunity.  Forming  in  line  with  their  heads  down 
stream,  they  backed  directl}^  towards  the  bridge,  and,  unhurt 
by  missile  weapons  or  falling  stones,  which  either  glanced 
from,  or  rolled  harmlessly  down  the  steep  sides  of  their  novel 
mantelets,  succeeded  in  getting  so  far  under  it  that  their 
prows  alone  were  visible.  Then  the  harsh  grating  of  many 
saws  gave  evidence  to  the  Danes  of  their  enemy's  intention 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  187 

to  so  weaken  the  props  of  the  bridge,  as  to  cause  it  to  fall  by- 
its  own  weight ;  yet  they  were  not  disheartened  at  the  sound: 
On  the  contrary,  some  cut  great  holes  in  the  bridge  and  pour- 
ed boiling  pitch  down,  in  the  vain  hope  that  through  cracks 
in  the  roofs,  it  would  fall  upon  the  Norsemen's  heads ;  others, 
more  daring,  leaped  from  the  bridge  upon  the  roofs  and 
endeavored  to  destroy  them  with  pole-axe  and  pike,  while 
others  again,  and  these  were  the  most  renowned  of  the 
Danish  warriors,  putting  off  from  the  shore  in  small  boats, 
actually^  made  an  attempt  to  carry  the  Charlemagne,  sword 
in  hand.  But  this  attempt  ending  miserably,  with  the  utter 
annihilation  of  the  boats  and  their  crews,  and  the  axe-men 
and  pike-men  being  driven  to  take  shelter  behind  their  bridge 
intrenchments,  by  the  shafts  of  the  famous  arctiers  on  board 
the  English  fleet,  some  of  whom,  perhaps,  lived  long  enough 
to  "  draw  a  good  bow "  at  Hastings,*  the  Norsemen  con- 
tinued their  work  of  demolition  for  several  hours,  almost 
unmolested,  at  the  expiration  of  which  their  great  dragons 
shot  out  from  between  the  piers  of  the  bridge,  with  all  the 
velocity  that  doubly-manned  oars  and  a  six  knot  current 
could  give  them,  to  a  distance  of  perhaps  two  hundred  yards, 
when  they  brought  up  with  a  sudden  jerk,  and  a  noise  like 
that  of  falling  timber, — and  behold  the  piles  of  the  bridge, 
broken  asunder  or  torn  from  their  river  bed  by  the  momentum 
of  the  vessels,  to  whose  sterns  by  stout  hawsers  they  had 
been  attached,  were  drifting  off  in  detached  masses  down 
stream,  while  a  cry  of  horror  from  the  Danish  women,  who, 
on  both  banks  of  the  river,  had  long  been  anxious  spectators 
of  the  strife,  gave  warning  that  the  bridge  was  tottering  to 
its  fall.  A  second  afterwards,  and  it  went  down  with  a  fear- 
ful crash,  carrying  with  it  turrets,  breast-works  and  battle- 
ments, and  burying  one-half  of  its  defenders  under  their  c?e5m  ; 
of  the  others,  a  few  got  into  South wark,  a  few  into  the  castle, 

*  As  the  bow  was  used  in  Denmark  from  the  earliest  times,  I  cannot  but  think  it 
was  introduced  into  England  by  the  Danes,  long  before  the  time  of  the  Norman  Con- 
quest, although  there  is  no  mention  of  English  archers  at  the- battle  of  Hastings. 

13 


188  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

but  by  far  the  greater  number  fell  into  the  Thames,  and  were 
drowned.  On  the  next  day,  amid  the  fierce  shouts  of  the 
Saxons  of  "Down  with  the  invaders  !  Death  to  the  Danes  !  " 
and  the  stern  commands  of  the  Norse  chieftains  to  their  fol- 
lowers :  "  Close  up  Christ-men  !  Forward  Cross-men  !  Follow 
your  leaders,  and  defend  your  banners  ! "  Southwark  was 
stormed  and  carried  almost  without  resistance,  seeing  which 
the  castle  capitulated,  and  London  was  restored  to  its  right- 
ful owners. 

Of  the  many  lines  written  by  the  Scalds  in  commemora- 
tion of  the  fall  of  the  bridge,  these,  by  Ottar  Swarte,  seem 
to  have  been  the  most  popular. 

*' London  bridge  is  broken  down, 
Gold  is  won  and  bright  renown  I 
Shields  resounding, 
War  horns  sounding, 
Hildur  shouting  in  the  din  I 
Arrows  singing, 
Mail  coats  ringing, 
Odin  makes  our  Olaf  win  !  " 

It  was  not  long  after  this  great  event,  however,  when 
Olaf  Haraldson  heard  of  Eric  Hakonson's  departure  from 
Norway  and  sailed  for  home,  and,  about  the  same  time,  Can- 
ute arrived  in  England  with  a  large  re-inforcement  of  Danes, 
whereupon  things  went  from  bad  to  worse  with  the  English, 
until  finally,  as  we  know,  they  were  forced  to  submit  to  Dan- 
ish rule. 

OLAF  THE  SAINT  BECOMES  KING  OF  NORWAY  AND 
REIGNS  THIRTEEN  YEARS,  WHEN  HE  ^FALLS  AT  THE 
BATTLE  OF  STIKLESTAD,  AND  IS  SUCCEEDED  BY  SWEND, 
A  SON  OF  CANUTE  THE  GREAT. 

Olaf  reached  Norway  in  due  season,  and,  as  he  jumped 
ashore  on  Sselo  island,  one  of  his  feet  slipped,  but  the  other 
sunk  deep  in  th^  mud.     Then  said  he  to  bis  foster-father. 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  189 

"  The  king  falls  !"  "  Nay,"  was  the  ready  response, "  thou  didst 
not  fall,  king,  but  set  fast  foot  in  the  soil."  And  so,  indeed, 
it  turned  out ;  for  it  was  not  long  after  this,  when  Earl  Hakon 
being  his  prisoner,  and  Earl  Swend  forced  to  fly  to  Sweden, 
he  was  acknowledged  by  the  bonders  as  their  king.  JHe'had 
reigned  over  Norway  but  thirteen  years,  however,  when  he 
was  obliged  to  retire  from  the  countr}^  before  the  overwhelm- 
ing forces  of  Canute,  to  whose  demand  that  he  should  hold 
the  kingdom  as  his  tributary,  he  had  returned  the  spirited  re- 
ply: "  Nowye  shall  tell  king  Canute  these,  my  words:  I  will  de- 
fend Norway  with  battle-axe  and  sword  as  long  as  life  is  given 
me."  And  it  was  in  an  effort  to  recover  his  crown,  that  he 
fell  in  the  great  fight  of  Stiklestad,  August  31st,  1030.  The 
battle-axe,  called  Hell  or  Death,  which  he  wielded  with  such 
effect  on  that  bloody  day,  descended  to  his  son,  Magnus,  but 
his  sword  Knikarr  was  picked  up  by  a  Swede  on  the  field  of 
battle,  and  kept  as  a  precious  heir-loom  in  his  family  for  sev- 
eral generations.  "Now  it  fell  out,"  says  the  saga,  "more 
than  a  century  after  the  engagement  at  Stiklestad,  that  a 
young  Swede,  belonging  to  the  body-guard  of  Kyrialax, 
emperor  of  Constantinople,  found,  on.  awakening  one  morn- 
ing, that  his  sword,  which  he  had  placed  under  his  head  on 
going  to  bed,  was  missing.  He  looked  after  it,  and  saw  it 
lying  on  the  flat  plain  at  a  distance  from  him.  He  got  up 
and  recovered  the  sword,  thinking  that  his  comrades  had 
taken  it  from  him  in  a  joke,  but  they  all  denied  it.  The  same 
thing  happened  three  nights.  Then  he  wondered  at  it,  as  well 
as  they  who  saw  or  heard  of  it ;  and  people  began  to  ask  him 
how  it  could  have  happened.  He  said  that  this  sword  was 
called  Knikarr,  and  had  belonged  to  king  Olaf  the  Saint,  who 
had  himself  carried  it  in  the  battle  of  Stiklestad ;  and  he  also 
related  how  the  sword  since  that  time,  had  gone  from  one  to 
another,  and  had  done  great  service  against  the  heathen. 
This  was  told  to  the  emperor  who  called  the  man  before  him, 
and  giving  him  three  times  as  much  gold  as  the  sword  was 
worth,  had  it  laid  in  St.  Olaf  s  Church."     Now  the  truth  of 


190  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD, 

this  story  is  well  attested,  "  for  there  was  alenderman  of  Nor- 
way in  Constantinople  when  the  sword  was  placed  in  the 
church,  and  he  saw  it  there  on  the  altar."  And  somewhere 
in  that  vicinity  it  will  doubtless  be  found,  and,  in  the  hands  of 
a  devout  Russian,  again  do  great  service  against  the  "  heathen" 
*  when  the  Czar  not  long  hence  drives  the  Turk  from  the  city 
of  Saint  Constantine. 

THE  NORSEMEN  "  CHASE  SWEND  BACK  TO  DENMARK," 
AND  PLACE  OLAF  THE  SAINT'S  SON,  MAGNUS  THE 
GOOD,  ON  THE  THRONE,  WHO  REIGNS  MANY  YEARS, 
AND  IS  SUCCEEDED  BY  HIS  UNCLE  HARALD  IIARD- 
RADA. 

After  Olaf's  death,  Canute  placed  his  son  Swend  over 
Norway :  "  but  when  by  the  law  every  ship  that  sailed  from 
the  land  had  to  reserve  stowage  for  the  king,  and  the  tes- 
timony of  one  Dane  invalided  that  of  ten  Norsemen,  the 
bonders  chased  him  back  to  Denmark,  and  remembering  the 
freedom  they  had  enjoyed  under  king  Olaf,  they  placed  his 
son  Magnus  the  Good  on  the  throne."  Magnus  reigned  many 
years  over  Norway  and  added  Denmark  to  his  dominions. 
He  was  a  great  warrior,  but  is  most  famous  in  history  "  for 
the  law-book  he  had  composed  in  writing,"  which  was  in  use 
in  the  Drontheim  district  as  late  as  the  fourteenth  century. 
It  was  called  the  Grray  G-oose,  from  the  color  of  the  parch- 
ment on  which  it  was  written,  and  "  embraced  subjects,"  says 
Laing,  "  not  dealt  with  probably  at  that  period  by  any  other 
code  in  Europe." 

After  Magnus,  came  his  uncle  Harald  Hardrada,  a  half- 
brother  of  Olaf  the  Saint,  who,  when  he  was  but  three  years 
old,  Olaf  predicted  would  some  day  become  a  king,  because 
upon  being  asked  what  he  would  like  to  have,  just  after  his 
brother  Halfdan  had  wished  for  a  large  herd  of  cows  and 
oxen,  he  answered  qiuckly,  "  O !  as  many  house  servants  as 
would  eat  up  Halfdan's  cattle  at  a  single  meal!"     A  reply 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  191 

which,  coupled  with  Olafs  prediction,  proves  that  the  divine 
right  of  kings,  in  the  eleventh  century,  to  eat  up  the  sub- 
stance of  their  loyal  subjects  was  as  fully  recognized  in  Nor- 
way as  in  other  countries.  Harald  commenced  his  career  as 
a  "  helm  striker "  in  his  fifteenth  year  at  Stiklestad,  where, 
in  his  brother's  defense,  he  was  desperately  wounded.  Carried 
from  the  battle-field,  by  a  faithful  follower,  he  lay  concealed 
in  the  house  of  a  poor  peasant  until  his  wounds  were  healed, 
when,  guided  by  the  peasant's  son,  he  made  his  escape  to 
Sweden.  His  bold,  hopeful  and  aspiring  spirit  was  never 
more  conspicuous  than  upon  a  certain  occasion  during  this 
journey,  when  forced  to  betake  himself  to  a  thick  wood,  for 
concealment  from  pursuers,  he  burst  forth,  to  the  wonder- 
ment of  his  guide,  with  : 

"  My  wounds  were  bleeding  as  I  rode  ; 
And  down  below  the  bonders  strode, 
Killing  the  wounded  with  the  sword, 
The  followers  of  their  rightful  lord. 
From  wood  to  wood  I  crept  along, 
Unnoticed  by  the  bonder-throng  ; 
Who  knows  I  thought,  a  day  may  come, 
My  name  will  yet  be  great  at  home." 

Harald's  contempt  of  danger  was' afterwards  displayed  in 
many  countries,  and  his  knowledge  of  scald-crafty  in  the  sea  of 
Azof,  when  he  composed  sixteen  songs  for  amusement,  all 
ending  with  the  same  words ;  yet,  as  there  can  be  no  reason- 
able doubt  but  that  his  quill  was  an  exception  to  the  rule 
that  the  pen  is  mightier  than  the  sword,  I  shall  transfer 
him  at  once  from  his  wanderings  among  the  muses  to  his 
home  on  the  field  of  Mars,  and  end  my  account  of  the  battles 
of  the  Baltic  with  the  great  sea  fight  off  Nisaa,  which,  with 
the  engagements  already  described,  will,  it  is  hoped,  give 
the  reader  a  jUst  idea  of  the  naval  tactics  and  strategy  of  the 
Scandinavians. 

The  cause  which  led  to  the  battle  was  the  unjust  claim 
of  Harald   to  the  crown  of  Denmark,   which   Magnus  had 


192  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

given  on  his  death-bed  to  Swend  Ulfsson ;  Harald  declaring 
that,  through  Magnus  himself,  he  had  an  inalienable  heredi- 
tary right  to  the  whole  Danish  dominions.  "  So  he  went 
South,  and  plundered  in  Denmark  all  one  summer,  but 
as  he  could  gain  no*  foothold  on  the  land  he  returned  to 
Norway  and  wintered  there."  His  raid  seems  to  have  been 
very  unexpected ;  for  the  Danish  girls,  on  being  told  the 
winter  before  that  Harald  might  be  looked  for  with  his  fleet 
as  soon  as  warm  weather  set  in,  cut  their  cheeses  into  the 
shape  of  anchors,  laughingly  declaring  "  that  with  such  kil- 
licks  they  would  undertake  to  hold  all  king  Harald's  vessels." 
Theodolf  makes  mention  of  the  matter  in  the  following  lines, 
which  show  how  deeply  Harald  resented  the  jest,  and  what 
unlimited  license  he  gave  his  men  on  their  landing  in  Den- 
mark : 

"  The  island  girls,  we  were  told, 
Made  anchors  all  our  fleets  to  hold  ; 
Their  Danish  gibe,  cut  out  in  cheese, 
Did  not  our  stern  king's  fancy  please. 
Now  many  a  maiden  fair,  may  be. 
Sees  iron  anchors  splash  the  sea, 
Who  will  not  wake  a  maid  next  morn. 
To  laugh  at  Norway's  ships  in  scorn." 

'  The  next  summer  Harald  plundered  in  Denmark  a  second 
time  ;  but,  as  he  was  returning  to  Norway  with  his  sixty 
vessels  burdened  with  spoil,  he  came  near  fallingrinto  a  snare 
prepared  for  him  by  Swend,  who,  with  over  a  hundred  ves- 
sels, was  lying  in  wait  for  him  somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of 
Lesso.  But,  as  the  Norsemen  drew  near  to  Lesso,  the  look- 
out men  on  the  king's  ship  cried  out,  lustily,  "  Lights  ahead ! 
Lights  on  the  starboard  bow  !  Lights  on  the  port  bow  !  " 
The  vessel  was  enveloped  in  a  fog  at  the  time,  yet, 
quick  as  lightning,  the  thought  flashed  across  Harald's  brain 
that  it  had  cleared  up  along  shore,  and  that  the  lights  re- 
ported were  the  gilded  figure  heads  of  Swend's  dragons,  upon 
which  the  rays  of  the  rising  sun  were  shining.     "  Go  about 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  193 

and  pull  for  your  lives  !  "  was  the  order  quickly  passed  from 
vessel  to  vessel  and  as  quickly  obeyed.  "But  the  North- 
men's ships,"  according  to  Snorro,  "were  both  soaked  with 
water  and  heavily  laden ;  so  that  the  Danes  approached 
nearer  and  nearer.  Then  Harald,  whose  own  dragon-ship 
was  the  last  of  the  fleet,  saw  that  he  could  not  get  away ;  so 
he  ordered  his  men  to  throw  overboard  some  wood,  and  to 
lay  upon  it  clothes  and  other  good  and  valuable  articles ;  and 
it  was  so  perfectly  calm,  that  these  drove  about  with  the 
tide.  Now  when  the  Danes  saw  their  own  goods  floating 
about  on  the  sea,  they  who  were  in  advance  turned  about  to 
collect  them;  for  they  thought  it  was  easier  to  take  what 
was  floating  about,  than  to  go  on  board  the  Northmen  to 
take  it.  But  when  king  Swend  came  up  to  them,  he  urged 
them  on  ;  saying  'it  would  be  a  great  shame  if  they,  with  so 
great  a  force,  could  not  overtake  and  master  so  small  a  num- 
ber ! '  The  Danes  then  began  again  to  stretch  out  at  their 
oars.  When  king  Harald  saw  that  the  Danish  ships  were 
faster,  he  ordered  his  men  to  lighten  their  ships,  and  cast 
overboard  malt,  wheat  and  bacon,  and  to  let  their  liquor  run 
out,  which  helped  a  little.  Then  Harald  ordered  the  bulwark- 
screens,  the  empty  casks  and  puncheons,  and  the  prisoners 
to  be  thrown  overboard ;  and,  when  all  these  were  driving 
about  on  the  sea,  Swend  ordered  help  to  be  given  to  save 
the  men ;  in  doing  which  so  much  time  was  lost  that  the 
Norse  fleet  got  away." 

It  was  not  to  be  supposed  that  a  warrior  like  Harald 
would  soon  forgive  his  rival  for  putting  him  to  flight,  and,  ac- 
cordingly, we  find  him,  a  few  years  later,  sending  a  message 
to  king  Swend,  "•  that  he  should  come  northward  in  spring, 
and  fight  him  on  the  river  Gotha,  and  so  settle  the  division 
of  the  countries,  that  the  one  who  gained  the  victory  should 
have  both  kingdoms."  He  then  sailed  from  Nidaros  with 
four  hundred  vessels,  large  and  small,  whose  rowers  were  so 
well  drilled  that  their  oars  all  touched  the  water  at  the  same 
instant,  and  of  Harald's  ship  in  particular,  on  board  of  which 
he  served,  Theodolf  sings  : 


194  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

"  Our  blades  together  rose  and  fell, 
One  stroke  was  all  the  eye  could  tell, 
And,  when  at  Drontheim's  holy  stream 
Our  seventy  oars  in  distance  gleam, 
We  seem,  while  rowing  in  from  sea, 
An  erne  with  wooden  wings  to  be." 


GREAT  SEA-FIGHT  OFF  NISAA,  BETWEEN  THE  NORSEMEN 
AND  THE  DANES. 

After  cruising  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Gotha  several  weeks, 
finding  the  Danish  king  did  not  make  his  appearance,  Harald 
concluded  he  had  declined  his  challenge,  and,  therefore,  sent 
home  all  but  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  his  vessels,  with 
which  he  repaired  to  Lofo  fiord,  where  he  employed  his  men 
wasting  the  country,  driving  off  cattle  and  collecting  grain. 
While  thus  engaged,  a  fisherman,  coming  from  sea,  reported 
to  him,  one  morning,  that  Swend's  fleet  was  near  at  hand ; 
and  he  was  still  questioning  the  man  as  to  its  size  and  equip- 
ment, when  it  entered  the  fiord,  presenting  a  naval  spectacle, 
such  as  has  been  rarely  seen ;  for  the  whole  power  of  Den- 
mark was  there,  in  three  hundred  ships,  commanded  by  the 
king  in  person,  and  divided  into  six  squadrons,  each  of  which 
was  lead  by  an  Earl. 

When  this  vast  armament  first  hove  in  view,  the  Norse 
vessels  were  scattered  in  all  directions,  and  the  crews  of 
many  of  them  had  landed  in  search  of  plunder;  but,  as 
trumpet  answered  trumpet,  from  cliff  to  cliff  and  from  ship 
to  shore,  they  hurriedly  got  together,  and,  in  small  detach- 
ments, were  soon  seen  issuing  from  cove,  creek  and  inlet  to 
the  support  of  their  flag-ship,  the  old  Charlemagne,  which 
had  won  such  renown  in  England,  as  we  have  seen,  under 
Olaf  the  Saint.  Earl  Hakon,  who  was  Harald's  second  in 
command,  had  his  flag  hoisted  on  a  large  dragon  called  the 
Bison,  built  by  Olaf,  and  long  used  as  the  ocean-home  of  his 
son  Magnus.  "It  had  a  great  bison's  head  on  the  bow," 
says  Arnor,  "  and  aft  on  the  sternpost  was  its  tail,  and  both 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  195 

its  head  and  tail  and  the  sides  of  the  ship  were  gilded  over." 
Beside  the  Charlemagne  and  the  Bison,  there  was  another 
famous  dragon  with  the  fleet,  whose  real  name  was  the  Sea 
Wolf,  but  which  was  commonly  known  to  seamen  as  the 
Dane-Cheater,  from  the  following  circumstance  : 

When  Saint  Olaf  made  his  escape  from  Canute's  great  fleet, 
he  made  his  way  to  Sweden,  where  he  ordered  his  vessels  to 
be  hauled  up  on  shore,  proposing  to  abandon  them,  and 
march  across  the  country  to  Norway ;  but  Harek  of  Thiotto, 
a  very  wealthy  bonder  who  owned  the  Sea  Wolf,  declared 
he  was  "  too  old  and  heavy  to  travel  on  foot  and  that  he  would 
make  his  way  home  in  his  ship,  even  if  he  should  And  Den- 
mark itself  underway  and  cruising  in  the  Baltic."  Accord- 
ingly, he  took  his  departure,  with  a  fair  wind,  and  a^  soon  as 
he  came  near  the  Danish  fleet  he  un-shipped  his  mast  and 
stowed  it  away,  and  after  covering  his  gilt-work  with  cloth, 
smeared  his  vessel  all  over  with  mud.  Next  he  nailed  strips 
of  wood  to  her  rail,  at  right  angles  to  it  and  about  ten  feet 
apart,  over  which  he  stretched  grey  tilt-canvass,  so  that  she 
seemed  to  have  very  high  bulwarks  like  a  merchantman. 
Then  putting  out  a  few  old  oars  on  either  side,  manned  by 
not  more  than  a  dozen  men,  he  steered  unmolested  through 
the  enemy's  line,. Canute's  watchmen  merely  reporting  to  the 
king  that  an  old  hxi%8  *  loaded  with  salt  or  herrings  was  pass- 
ing through  the  fleet,  steering  to  the  northward.  After  he 
had  got  a  couple  of  miles  beyond  the  enemy,  however,  Harek 
raised  his  mast,  hoisted  sail  and  sent  up  his  gilded  vane  ; 
whereupon  the  mortified  Danes,  realizing  the  trick  that  had 
been  played  upon  them,  spread  all  their  canvass  in  pursuit  ; 
but,  the  Sea  Wolf  going  two  feet  to  their  one,  the  wily  old 
Norseman  was  soon  far  away,  and  singing  gaily,  after  the 
manner  of  his  countrymen. 


A  young  man  who  is  hale  and  sound 
May  leave  his  ship  and  walk  the  ground ; 
But  Harek,  with  his  gouty  feet. 


196  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Prefers  to  sail  with  flowing  sheet : 
So,  ere  1  take  to  shore,  I'll  see 
What  my  good  ship  will  do  for  me." 

Many  of  the  dragons  of  king  Swend's  fleet  were  of  great 
size,  and  the  one  carrying  his  royal  standard  had  also  worn 
that  of  Canute,  whose  name  she  bore.  Her  sail  was  entirely- 
blue,  while  the  sails  of  the  other  vessels  were  painted  in 
stripes  of  blue,  white  and  red;  the  hulls  and  masts  of  all 
being  black,  differing  in  this  from  the  Norse  vessels,  whose 
masts  were  scraped,  while  their  hulls  were  of  various  hues. 

After  Harald  had  formed  his  fleet  in  line,  he  took  his 
station  in  the  centre  of  it,  and  lashed  the  vessels  together, 
with  his  right  resting  on  the  land,  near  the  village  of  Nisaa, 
from  which  this  battle  takes  its  name,  and  his  left  stretching 
toward  the  opposite  shore,  but  at  some  distance  from  it  (for 
the  fiord  is  very  wide  at  this  point),  so  that  there  was  room 
enough  for  many  vessels  abreast  to  pass  between  him  and  it; 
and,  fearing  lest  the  Danes  should  take  advantage  of  this 
pass  to  get  in  his  rear,  he  kept  a  strong  reserve  for  its  guard 
just  astern  of  his  left  flank,  which  he  confided  to  Earl  Hakon. 

On  the  right  of  the  king,  Ulf  Ospaksson,  the  marshal,  laid 
his  ship,  "  ordering  his  men  to  bring  her  well  forward  ;  "  and 
on  the  left  was  Guttorm  i^^alfsson,  a  famous  seaman  whom 
the  Norsemen  supposed  to  be  under  the  especial  protection 
of  Saint  Olaf ;  "  for  once,  when  attacked  by  King  Margad, 
of  Dublin,  with  sixteen  ships,  while  he  himself  had  but  five,  he 
called  upon  God  and  his  uncle.  Saint  Olaf,  to  aid  him,  and 
won  the  battle.  King  Margad  and  every  man  who  followed 
him,  old  and  young,  being  slain.  Then  Guttorm  had  an 
image  of  the  Saint,  seven  feet  high,  made  frorii  the  silver 
which  he  found  in  the  king's  ships,  and  set  up  in  the  temple 
of  Drontheim." 

Swend,  the  Danish  king,  also  drew  up  his  fleet  in  order 
of  battle,  and  "  laid  his  ship  forward  in  the  centre,  opposite 
to  Harald's  ship."  On  his  right  was  the  great  Earl  of  Hal- 
land,  Finn  Arneson,  and  on  his  left  a  warrior  noted  for  his 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  197 

strength,  called  Thorkel,  the  helm-splitter^  from  the  many 
casques  he  had  cut  through  with  his  ponderous  battle-axe. 
"  which  no  other  man  in  the  fleet  could  wield,  and  but  few 
men  lift." 

"  As  the  Danes  began  to  bind  their  ships  together,  King 
Swend  called  out  that  a  third  of  them  must  remain  loose, 
and  pull  around  outside  of  the  battle,  attacking  the  Norse- 
men wherever  they  were  found  to  be  vulnerable.  Then 
King  Harald,  ordering  a  war-blast  to  sound,  his  vessels  moved 
forward  to  the  attack,  and  the  strife  began  and  became  very 
sharp,  both  kings  urging  on  their  men."  But  so  much  time 
had  been  consumed,  in  making  the  necessary  dispositions  for 
battle,  that  darkness  had  now  set  in;  so  that,  although  the 
fight  continued  through  the  whole  night,  it  was  simply  a 
melee^  there  being  no  resort  to  strategy  or  stratagem,  nor 
attempt  at  manoeuvring  on  either  side.  The  obstinacy  with 
which  it  had  been  maintained  by  both  parties  was  made  ap- 
parent, however,  at  the  dawn  of  day,  by  "  the  vast  number 
of  dead  men  floating  all  around  the  ships,"  and  yet  it  contin- 
ued with  unremitting  fury,  and,  so  far  as  the  eye  could  judge, 
without  advantage  to  either  side — the  black  raven  of  Odin 
on  Denmark's  national  ensign,  still  confronting,  as  boldly  as 
on  the  previous  evening,  the  greeri  dragon  of  Norway,  said 
to  have  been  brought  originall}"  from  the  remote  province  of 
Toorkestan. 

The  steel-clad  men  of  the  Charlemagne,  but  one  of  whom 
— not  yet  distinguished  for  heroic  valor — was  forced  by  mil- 
itary law  to  carry  the  "  shield  of  expectation,"  * — white  when 
he  left  his  home,  but  now  stained  red  with  blood, — were  en- 
gaged in  an  almost  hand  to  hand  conflict  with  the  crew  of 
the  Canute,  "  armed  in  foreign  helmets  and  coats  of  stout 
ring-mail."  On  the  forecastle  of  their  respective  flag-ships 
stood  the  contesting  chiefs,  each  "  with  a  gold-mounted  hel- 
met on  his  head  and  a  lance  in  his  hand,"  and  surrounded  by 
the  warriors  of  his  shield-circle,  who  were  ever  ready  to  give 
up  their  lives  in  his  behalf.     In  front  of  Harald  was  the  flag 


198  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

he  had  long  carried,  appropriately  called  The  Land  Ravager^ 
and  opposite  to  it,  on  the  Canute's  prow,  the  Enchanted  banner^ 
borne,  as  we  have  seen,  by  Earl  Eric,  in  the  battle  of  Rugen, 
and  thereafter  adopted  as  the  royal  standard  of  Denmark, 
with  which  the  fate  of  the  country  was  believed  by  the  super- 
stitious to  be  inseparably  connected. 

As  soon  as  it  was  fairly  light,  an  attempt  was  made,  by 
full  fifty  vessels  of  the  Danish  reserve,  to  turn  King  Harald's 
left ;  but,  in  a  trice.  Earl  Hakon  swooped  upon  them  with 
his  division,  and  sinking  some  and  disabling  others,  he  struck 
the  remainder  with  such  panic  terror  that  they  turned  and 
fled,  not  stopping,  it  was  jeeringly  said  of  them,  for  many 
years  afterward,  "  until  they  had  reached  their  mother  Den- 
mark." As  the  Earl  was  engaged  in  towing  off  his  prizes,  "  a 
boat  came  rowing  to  him,  and,  hailing  him,  said  that  the 
other  wing  of  Harald's  fleet  had  given  way,  and  many  of 
their  people  had  fallen.  Then  Hakon  hastened  thither,  and 
gave  so  severe  an  assault  that  the  Danes  had  to  retreat  in  a 
hurry.  The  Earl  went  on  in  this  way,  as  he  had  been  doing 
all  the  nipfht,  coming  forward  wherever  he  was  most  wanted, 
and  always  driving  the  enemy  before  him." 

While  the  fierce  Earl  was  thus  retrieving  the  fortune  of 
the  day  on  the  right,  the  warriors  who  yet  remained  alive  in 
the  centre  of  the  Norse  fleet  were  battling  stoutly  for  the 
honor  of  their  flag,  while  many  who  had  fought  their  last 
fight,  were  sleeping  peacefully,  side  by  side  with  the  dead 
heroes  of  King  Swend.  But  now  a  stalwart  Dane,  named 
Hildur,  who  had  long  been  battling  bravely  in  the  foremost 
ranks  of  his  friends,  sprung  from  the  prow  of  the  Canute 
upon  the  deck  of  the  Charlemagne,  and  callifig  upon  Odin 
to  aid  him,  endeavored  to  make  his  way  to  the  Norwegian 
king.  He  had  approached,  indeed,  within  a  few  feet  of  Har- 
ald,  when  a  giant  among  the  berserkers^  noted  throughout  all 
Norway  for  his  herculean  strength,  devoted  himself  to  death 
in  his  sovereign's  defense.  Rushing  upon  Hildur  and  clasp- 
ing him  in  his  iron  embrace,  even  while  his  life's  blood  was 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  - 199 

ebbing  away  from  the  wound  inflicted  by  Hildur's  sword, 
which  had  passed  through  and  through  his  naked  breast,  this 
noble  barbarian  with  one  bound  cleared  the  bulwarks  of  the 
Charlemagne  and  leaped  with  his  adversary  into  the  sea ! 
As  the  waves  closed  over  Hildur,  his  comrades  were  seized 
with  a  sudden  fright,  taking  advantage  of  which  Harald  gave 
the  order.  Board !  An  instant  thereafter  the  Land  Ravager 
was  advanced  to  the  forecastle  of  the  Canute,  ••'  followed  by 
the  king  himself,  and  all  his  valiant  men,"  and  a  fierce  hand 
to  hand  conflict  ensued  with  the  immediate  supporters  of 
King  Swend,  to  whose  assistance  now  rushed  Finn  Arneson 
and  the  Helm-splitter,  at  the  head  of  a  select  body  of  vete- 
rans, "  who  had  seen  much  service  in  England,"  while  the 
number  of  Harald's  followers  was  augmented  by  the  arrival 
of  Guttorm  Kalfsson,  Ulf  Ospaksson,  and  their  shield-circle 
men.  Each  instant  the  strife  waxed  hotter  and  hotter,  and 
the  air  resounded  with  the  clashing  of  swords,  the  war-cries 
of  the  combatants,  and  the  groans  of  the  wounded  and  dying, 
to  which  was  added  an  occasional  splash  in  the  water,  as  a 
corpse  was  thrown  overboard  that  chanced  to  be  in  the  way 
of  friend  or  foe. 

Suddenly  Guttorm  Kalfsson,  rushing  in  front  of  his  men, 
and  laying  a  foeman  low  with  every  stroke  of  his  good 
sword,  succeeded  in  reaching  the  enchanted  banner  and 
wresting  it  from  the  bannerman's  hands ;  but  at  this  criti- 
cal instant  a  voice  was  heard  calling  out,  in  stentorian 
tones,  "  Halland  to  the  rescue ! "  and  Guttorm  falling  to  the 
deck,  with  his  right  arm  severed  from  the  shoulder,  the  Danes 
recovered  their  standard.  Ere  Finn  Arneson  could  repeat 
his  blow,  however,  he  was  confronted  by  King  Harald,  who, 
in  the  excitement  of  the  moment,  had  leaped  over  the  shields 
by  which  he  was  encompassed ;  "  and  by  Harald's  side  was 
his  marshal,  and  at  his  back  stood  Rolf  the  couraCgeous,  and 
many  other  distinguished  men."  On  the  other  side  Swend 
was  not  less  prompt  than  Harald  in  getting  to  the  front,  nor 


200  ^  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

were  the  Danish  warriors  one  whit  behind  the  Norsemen  in 
rallying  to  the  support  of  their  king. 

The  fight  on  the  Canute  now  took  the  form  of  a  series 
of  single  combats,  which  the  rival  armies — their  weapons 
for  the  moment  laid  aside — regarded  with  breathless  interest, 
each  army  feeling  that  on  their  result  depended  the  fate  of 
its  king  and  country. 

Cutting  down  all  who  beset  his  path,  King  Harald  at  last 
reached  the  King  of  Denmark,  and  the  two  were  soon  fiercely 
engaged,  foot  to  foot,  and  blade  to  blade  ;  but  Swend,  although 
of  great  personal  bravery,  was  no  match  in  arms  for  one  who 
had  gained  eighteen  battles  in  Africa  and  the  East,  and  who 
had  commanded  for  many  years  the  Vairingers^  of  the  Greek 
Emperor ;  and,  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  his  sword 
went  whirling  from  his  grasp  into  the  sea,  leaving  him  at  the 
mercy  of  his  antagonist.  King  Harald  was  about  to  follow 
up  his  advantage,  when  a  blow  on  his  helmet,  from  behind, 
brought  him  to  his  knee ;  yet,  quick  as  thought,  he  sprang  to 
his  feet,  and,  although  his  brain  was  reeling,  and  his  cloven* 
casque  fell  to  the  deck,  he  turned,  with  the  ferocity  of  a  tiger, 
upon  his  assailant,  the  redoubtable  Thorkel,  who  was  now 
obliged  to  cover  his  helm  with  his  ponderous  battle-axe,  so 
fast  and  furious  were  the  blows  rained  upon  it  by  the  enraged 
monarch  with  his  Damascus  steel.  Tired  at  length  of  acting 
on  the  defensive,  Thorkel  ventured  to  draw  back  his  weapon 
to  the  length  of  his  right  arm,  with  the  intent  of  bringing  it 
down  upon  the  king's  defenceless  skull ;  but  ere  the  axe 
descended,  his  own  head  was  fairly  cleft  in  twain  by  Harald's 
blade,  and  he  fell  forward  on  his  face,  dead.  As  his  body 
struck  the  deck,  the  gauntlet  of  his  right  hand  fell  off,  ex- 
posing to  view  his  unpared  nails,  which  were  of  such  extraor- 
dinary length  as  to  make  his  fingers  resemble  the  talons 
of  a  bird  of  prey.  King  Harald  had  been  baptized  a  Christian, 
yet  all  his  early  Pagan  superstition  camb  back  to  him  at  the 
sight.  "  Wretch "  cried  he,  spurning  the  corpse  with  his 
foot,  "  get  thee  to  Hell  with  thy  raven  claws,  thou  accursed 


THE  GALLEY  PERLOD,  201 

of  gods  and  men,  who  hast  thus  furnished  a  plank  for  the 
ship®  Naglfar ;  and  may  the  great  serpent  gnaw  upon  thy  soul 
until  the  universe  is  consumed  by  Surtur's  flame  I " 

While  the  king  was  yet  speaking,  Guttorm  Kalfsson, 
whom  all  had  supposed  to  be  dead,  rose  to  his  feet,  and  seiz- 
ing the  enchanted  banner '  from  the  terrified  standard-bearer, 
bore  it  to  the  rear ;  then,  clambering  on  board  the  Charle- 
magne and  leaning  against  the  bulwarks,  he  held  it  with  his 
left  arm  rigidly  in  air.  His  companions  hastened  to  him 
with  shouts  of  approbation;  but  their  plaudits  fell  upon 
heedless  ears — the  mail-clad  warrior,  so  proudly  holding  the 
captured  flag  on  high,  had  struck  his  own  flag  to  the  Con- 
queror Death ! 

"  A  miracle  !  a  miracle  !  "  now  cried  the  crew  of  the  Char- 
lemagne—  a  cry  that  was  taken  up  by  ship  after  ship  all 
along  the  line,  as,  with  one  accord,  resuming  their  arms,  the* 
Norsemen  charged  upon  their  foe ;  but  the  awe-struck  Danes 
awaited  not  their  approach,  but — some  by  swimming,  others 
in  their  boats — betook  themselves  to  the  reserve,  which  now 
fled  amain,  hotly  pursued  by  King  Harald,  leaving  the  aban- 
doned vessels,  more  than  seventy  in  number,  to  fall  into  Earl 
Hakon's  hands. 

While  Harald  was  absent  in  pursuit  of  the  fugitives,  "  a 
man  came  rowing  in  a  boat  to  the  Earl's  ship  and  lay  at  the 
bulwarks.  The  man  was  stout,  and  had  on  a  white  hat.  He 
hailed  the  ship.     '  Where  is  the  earl  ?  '  "  said  he. 

The  earl  was  in  the  fore-hold  stopping  a  man's  blood. 
He  cast  a  look  at  the  man  in  the  hat  and  asked  him  his  name. 
He  answered  "  here  is  Vandraade,  speak  to  me  earl !  " 

The  earl  leant  over  the  ship's  side  to  him.  Then  the  man 
in  the  boat  said,  "  Earl,  T  will  accept  of  my  life  from  thee,  if 
thou  will  give  it." 

Then  the  earl  raised  himself  up,  called  two  men  who  were 
friends  dear  to  him,  and  said  to  them,  "  go  into  the  boat ; 
bring  Vandraade  to  the  land,  attend  him  to  my  friend's,  Karl 
the  bonder,  and  tell  Karl  to  let  him  have  the  horse  which  I 


202  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

gave  to  him  yesterday,  and  also  his  saddle,  and  his  son  to 
attend  him." 

This  is  the  Vandraade  of  whom  we  have  made  mention  as 
having  been  reproved  by  the  house-frau  (Karl's  wife),  for 
presuming  to  wipe  his  face  in  the  middle  of  a  towel ;  and  he 
was  no  less  a  personage  than  Swend,  king  of  Denmark. 

The  king's  reply  was :  "  I  may  yet  come  so  far  forward 
in  the  world  as  to  dry  myself  with  the  middle  of  a  cloth,"  and 
he  seems  never  to  have  forgiven  the  woman  for  her  churlish- 
ness ;  for  many  years  afterward,  upon  his  bestowing  a  fine 
farm  upon  Karl  as  a  reward  for  his  services,  he  expressly  stip- 
ulated that  Karl  should  put  away  his  wife  before  taking 
possession  of  it.  He,  however,  gave  him  a  new  wife,  show- 
ing from  his  conversation  with  the  bonder  about  the  matter, 
that  his  opinions  in  relation  to  the  female  sex  harmonized 
entirely  with  those  of  the  immediate  successor  of  the  Prophet. 
"  Women,"  said  Abu  Beker,  '-'•  are  a  great  evil,  and  the  worst 
of  it  is  they  are  a  necessary  evil  1  " 

King  Harold  was  much  displeased  with  Earl  Hakon  for 
his  magnanimity  in  sparing  Swend's  life,  and  would  have 
put  him  to  death,  had  not  the  earl  fled  to  Sweden. 

Of  the  many  monkish  legends  relating  to  the  engagement 
off  Nisaa,  which  were  current  in  Norway  in  Harald's  day, 
there  was  one  that  gave  as  great  offence  to  the  Norse  war- 
riors as  that  told  by  Gomara,  five  centuries  later,  of  the  battle 
of  Santa  Maria  de  la  Vittoria  in  Mexico  gave  to  Bernal  Diaz 
and  the  other  old  soldiers  of  Cortez.^ 

It  was  to  this  effect,  that  when  Guttorm  was  about  being 
struck  the  second  time  by  the  Earl  of  Holland,  Olaf  the  Saint 
made  his  appearance  on  the  forecastle  of  the  Canute,  clad  in 
full  armor,  and  that  it  was  he  who  seized  the  magic  banner 
and  waved  it  from  the  Charlemagne.  This,  the  heroes  who 
had  taken  part  in  the  fight,  indignantly  denied,  stoutly 
averring  that  it  was  the  king's  and  their  own  good  swords 
that  defended  the  prostrate  form  of  Kalfsson,  and  that  if  Olaf 
were  present  they  did  not  see  him,  but  that  they  did  see  Gut- 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  '      203 

torm  seize  and  carry  off  the  Danish  standard  and  with  his 
remaining  strength  display  it  above  his  head,  and  that  in  the 
heroic  act  he  expired. 

HARALD  HARDRADA  SAILS  FOR  ENGLAND    AS   THE   ALLY 
OF  EARL  TOSXr,  AND  IS  SLAIN  AT  STANDFORD  BRIDGE. 

About  five  years  after  the  battle  of  Nisaa,  king  Harald 
sailed  for  England  as  the  ally  of  Earl  Tosti  in  his  quarrel 
with  his  brother  Harold.  Before  leaving  Norway,  several 
men  in  his  fleet  had  dreams  portending  his  death,  of  which 
the  most  remarkable  narrated  in  the  sagas  are  these. 

"  While  they  lay  in  Solundir  a  man  called  Gyrder,  on 
board  the  king's  ship,  had  a  dream.  He  thought  he  was  on 
the  forecastle,  and  saw  a  great  witch-wife  standing  on  the 
island,  with  a  fork  in  one  hand,  and  a  trough  in  the  other. 
He  thought  also  that  he  saw  all  over  the  fleet,  and  that  a  fowl 
was  sitting  upon  every  ship's  stern,  and  that  these  fowls 
were  all  ravens  or  ernes ;  and  the  witch-wife  sang  this 
song  : 

"  From  the  East  I'll  lure  the  King, 
To  the  West  the  King  I'll  bring ; 
Many  a  noble  one  will  be 
In  English  meadows  left  for  me. 
Ravens  o'er  Harald's  ship  are  flitting, 
Falcons  on  her  high  stern  sitting, 
Eyeing  their  prey. 
The  King  is  fey,  the  King  is  fey  !  " 

"  There  was  also  a  man  called  Thora,  in  a  ship  which  lay 
not  far  from  the  king's.  He  dreamt  one  night  that  he  saw 
king  Harald's  fleet  coming  to  land,  and  he  knew  the  land 
to  be  England.  He  saw  a  great  battle  array  on  the  land,  and 
he  thought  both  sides  began  to  fight,  and  had  many  banners 
flapping  in  the  air.  And  before  the  army  of  the  people  of 
the  country  was  riding  a  huge  witch-wife  upon  a  wolf ;  and 
the  wolf  had  a  man's  carcass  in  his  mouth,  and  the  blood  was 

14 


204  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

dropping  from  his  jaws  ;  and  when  he  had  eaten  up  one  body 
she  threw  another  into  his  mouth,  and  so,  one  after  another, 
he  swallowed  them  all.  It  was  said,  too,  that  Harald's  broth- 
er Olaf  appeared  to  him  and  told  him  if  he  went  to  England 
he  would  serve  as  food  for  the  witch-wife's  steed/' 

But  Harald  Hardrada  was  not  a  man  to  be  deterred  from 
the  prosecution  of  any  object  he  had  set  his  heart  upon,  by 
idle  dreams  or  imaginary  apparitions  ;  and  so  he  set  sail,  as  we 
have  said,  and  landing  in  England,  lost  his  life,  fighting  gal- 
lantly, in  the  battle  of  Standford  bridge,  Sept.  25th,  1066.  His 
body  was  carried  to  Norway  and  buried  at  Nidaros  where  it 
still  lies.  But  when,  at  the  last  day,  the  Gjallar  horn  shall 
sound  and  Odin  rides  forth  with  his  heroes,  through  one  of  the 
five  hundred  doors  of  Valhalla,  to  contend  with  the  wolf,  the 
dog,  and  the  serpent,  backed  by  the  monster  ''  Lodi,  the  cal- 
uminator  of  the  gods,"  and  all  the  other  inmates  of  Hell, 
Harald,  if  old  Norse  prophecies  may  be  relied  on,  will  not  be 
far  from  the  warrior-god's  right  hand. 

King  Harald  is  described  as  "  a  handsome  man  of  noble 
appearance ;  his  hair  and  beard  yellow.  He  had  short 
whiskers  and  long  mustaches  and  one  eye-brow  somewhat 
higher  than  the  other,  and  was  in  height  five  ells." 

AVith  him  ends  our  connection  with  the  romantic  land  of 
Scandinavia,  whose  sea-kings,  according  to  Mallet,  "  fought 
equally  well  on  foot,  on  horse-back,  and  on  board  a  vessel." 

Lest  the  reader  should  suppose  that  the  binding  together 
of  vessels,  when  acting  on  the  defensive,  was  peculiar  to  the 
Norsemen,  it  may  be  well  here  to  mention  that  it  was  resorted 
to  before  their  day,  on  the  Indian  Ocean  and  the  Red  and 
Mediterranean  Seas.  So  common,  indeed,  was  this  order 
with  the  Arabs,  that  they  gave  to  it,  says  Jal,  "  the  distinc- 
tive name  of  mare^nme;'^  and  Polybius  calls  two  vessels 
bound  together  a  sambuca,  ^yhether  from  the  resemblance  of 
the  formation  to  a  harp,  or  to  a  kind  of  craft  known  in  India 
as  a  zamhuca^  is  a  mooted  question. 

According  to  Livy,  Publius  Scipio,  when  attacked  by  the 


I 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  205 

Carthaginian  fleet  off  Utica,  formed  his  "  round  ships  "  into 
four  lines,  the  ships  of  each  line  being  at  such  distances  from 
each  other  as  would  permit  of  the  passage  of  a  galley  between 
them.  These  intervals  were  bridged  over  with  masts  and 
spars,  placed  from  rail  to  rail,  with  thick  planks  laid  upon 
and  securely  fastened  to  them,  upon  Avhich  were  stationed 
large  bodies  of  slingers  and  pikemen,  and  various  engines  of 
war  then  in  use ;  and  from  under  these  bridges  the  galleys 
pulled  to  the  attack,  falling  back  upon  them,  and  taking 
advantage  of  their  cover,  when  hard  pressed  by  the  enemy. 

The  Venetians,  Genoese  and  Spaniards  also  adopted  this 
order  of  battle  on  some  occasions. 

In  attacking  fortified  places,  vessels  were  not  unfrequently 
lashed  together  to  afford  a  secure  platform  for  artillery. 
Great  results  were  obtained  from  this  by  Alexander  the 
Great,  at  Tyre,  and  by  many  other  celebrated  commanders,  at 
later  periods. 


RISE   OF  THE  BRITISH  NAVY.      BATTLE    BETWEEN    THE 
ENGLISH   AND  FRENCH   OFF   SLUYS. 

Having  now  traced  the  galley  of  the  Baltic  to  the  end  of 
the  eleventh  century,  after  which  period  there  was  no  im- 
provement in  its  construction,  and  the  Norman  war  vessel,  so 
famous  in  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries,  being  built 
like  it,  with  some  slight  modifications  borrowed  from  the 
Greeks  and  Venetians,  whose  fleets,  as  well  as  those  of  other 
Mediterranean  peoples,  we  have  several  times  seen  arrayed 
in  order  of  battle,  it  would  be  unprofitable  to  pursue  the  sub- 
ject of  galley  fighting  further ;  I  shall  therefore  take  leave  of 
it  with  an  account  of  the  Invincible  Armada,  wherein  galleys 
were  used  for  the  last  time  on  the  high  seas  as  vessels  of 
war.* 

Before  proceeding  however,  to  chronicle  the  advent  to  the 

*  Small  row-galleys  were  used  with  effect  by  us  against  the  enemy  on  our  rivers, 
during  "  the  revolutionary  war."    See  Cooper's  Naval  History. 


206  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

British  channel  of  that  vast  armament  "  under  whose  weight 
the  very  sea  appeared  to  groan,"  it  becomes  necessary  to 
sketch  briefly  the  rise  of  the  Naval  Power,  against  which  its 
efforts  were  directed. 

The  opinion  of  several  eminent  writers  that  the  Britons 
were  masters  of  a  considerable  sea  force  before  the  time  of 
Julius  Csesar,  is  based  upon  the  supposition  that  when  the 
Veneti  implored  their  aid  against  the  Romans,  they  sent  them 
their  whole  fleet,  and  that  every  vessel  of  it  perished  in  the 
memorable  combat  that  ensued. 

Passing  over  such  an  absurd  conjecture  as  unworthy  of 
serious  consideration,  I  would  remind  the  reader  that  when 
the  old  standard-bearer  of  the  10th  legion,  calling  upon  his 
fellow-soldiers  "  to  follow  him  or  see  their  Eagle  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy,"  leaped  into  the  sea  near  Deal,  there  was 
nothing  in  the  shape  of  a  fleet  belonging  to  the  British  Isles, 
according  to  Csesar  himself,  but  an  inconsiderable  number  of 
fishing  boats,  "  made  of  wicker  and  hides."  It  was  not  indeed 
until  nine  centuries  later,  and  after  Britain  had  been  the  pre}^ 
successively  of  the  Roman,  the  Saxon  and  the  Dane,  that 
anything  deserving  the  name  of  a  naval  organization  was  at- 
tempted by  its  rulers. 

To  Alfred  the  Great  belongs  the  honor  of  being  the 
founder  of  the  British  Navy,  and  as  he  took  command  of  his 
first  fleet  in  person,  Mr.  Southey  very  properly  regards  him  as 
the  first  English  Admiral.  British  vessels  were  built  by  his 
order  of  twice  the  length  of  those  they  were  to  engage,  and 
were  less  unsteady  and  higher,  and  far  swifter  than  the 
enemy's  galleys.  England's  first  naval  victory  was  probably 
gained  during  his  reign,  when  the  Danes  were  defeated  in  a 
sea-fight  off  Essex. 

Athelstan,  Alfred's  grandson,  so  well  understood  the  ne- 
cessity of  encouraging  commerce  as  the  only  sure  founda- 
tion of  naval  power,  as  to  decree  that  any  merchant  who  had 
made  three  voyages  over  the  high  seas  in  his  own  ship, 
freighted  at  his  own  expense,  should  have  the  rank  of  thane^ 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  207 

"  a  title,"  says  Yonge,  "  previously  confined  to  men  of  noble 
rank  and  extensive  landed  possessions."  It  is  recorded  that 
the  king  of  Norway  held  Athelstan  in  such  esteem,  that  he 
sent  him  "  a  goodly  dragon  with  a  golden  beak  and  purple 
sails." 

The  monastic  writers  assert  that  Edwy  the  All  Fair,  had 
"four  fleets  of  twelve  hundred  vessels  each,  stationed  in  the 
four  seas  for  the  defence  of  the  whole  island."  But  as  the  sea- 
coast  of  Britain  was  repeatedly  ravaged  during  his  reign  by 
"  the  Danes  and  Vikings,"  we  may  well  doubt  the  truth  of  the 
story.  It  is  certain,  however,  that,  through  his  marine  he  had 
considerable  intercourse  with  the  continent,  to  the  great  det- 
riment of  his  subjects,  "  who  learnt  drunkenness  from  the 
Danes,  effeminacy  from  the  Flemings,  and  from  the  Saxons  a 
disordered  fierceness  of  mind." 

From  this  period  we  hear  but  little  of  English  vessels 
until  the  reign  of  Canute  the  Great,  under  whose  wise  rule, 
commerce  had  assumed  such  prominence,  that,  upon  his 
decease,  the  merchants  of  London  decided  by  their  voice,  the 
question  of  the  succession  in.  favor  of  Harold  Harefoot, 
against  Ilardicanute,  whom  Earl  Godwin  and  the  people  of 
Wessex  would  have  preferred,  "because  Queen  Emma,  a 
favorite  with  the  English,  was  his  mother."  In  the  time  of 
Henry  II.  a  law  was  passed  requiring  the  justices  of  every 
county  "  to  prohibit  any  one  from  buying  or  selling  any  ship 
to  be  carried  out  of  England,  or  from  sending  or  causing  to 
be  sent  any  mariner  into  foreign  service,"  and,  a  few  years 
later,  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion  set  sail  for  the  Holy  land,  with 
a  large  fleet  of  war-vessels  and  transports  which  excited  the 
admiration  of  all  the  crusaders,  "  for  the  completeness  of  its 
armament  and  the  excellence  of  its  mariners."  That  these 
marienrs  were  rather  a  turbulent  set,  however,  is  proved  by 
the  stringent  laws  found  necessary  for  their  government. 
"  If  any  man  killed  another  on  board  ship  he  was  to  be  fast- 
ened to  the  dead  body  and  thrown  into  the  s'fea;  if  the  crime 
were  committed  on  shore,  to   be  bound  to  the  corpse  and 


208  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

buried  with  it."  The  first  case  of  tar  and  feathering,  in  the 
world's  history,  probably  occurred  during  this  expedition;  for 
by  the  law,  "  a  thief  was  to  have  his  head  shaved  and  covered 
with  hot  pitch,  after  which  a  bag  filled  with  feathers  was  to 
be  emptied  over  it."  During  the  reign  of  John,  it  was  decreed 
"that  any  ships  of  other  nations,  though  at  peace  and  in 
amity  with  England,  should  be  made  lawful  prizes,  if  they 
refused  to  strike  to  the  royal  flag;  "  and  a  naval  victory  over 
the  French  was  gained  by  John's  fleet  in  the  harbor  of  Dam- 
me. For  a  century  after  this  a  sort  of  piratical  war  raged 
between  England  and  France,  during  which  the  coasts  of 
both  countries  were  continually  pillaged  by  freebooters;  but 
in  1340  a  great  naval  battle  was  fought  between  the  contend- 
ing parties  off  Sluys,  on  the  Flemish  coast,  in  which  the 
English,  led  by  their  Sovereign,  Edward  the  Third,  came  off 
victorious,  though  with  the  loss  of  6,000  men ;  the  French 
loss  in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners  being  over  twenty 
thousand,  and  nearly  their  whole  force  of  three  hundred  ves- 
sels falling  into  the  enemy's  hands.  This  engagement, 
according  to  Charnock,  was  "  the  first  wherein  galleys  and 
beaked  vessels  were  totally  laid  aside,  since,  though  the  use 
of  ships,  as  vessels  of  a  different  construction  from  galleys 
and  depending  mainly  on  sails  for  their  propulsion,  were  then 
called,  had  been  partially  adopted  for  many  years,  yet  in 
every  preceding  action  which  had  taken  place,  they  had  been 
intermixed  with  the  loftier  vessels,  built  according  to  the 
newly  introduced  system.  On  board  the  latter  the  &,rchers 
and  slingers,  supplying  the  place  of  the  modern  marines,  were 
stationed  near  the  prow  and  stern,  the  centre  or  midship  was 
filled  with  the  various  engines  then  in  use,  contrived  for  the 
purpose  of  throwing  darts  and  stones,  which  were  not  long 
afterwards  supplanted  by  cannon." 

In  these  vessels,  oars  were  only  used  in  calm  weather  or  to 
assist  the  sails  in  turning  to  windward,  yet  the  French,  for 
many  years  aftA'  the  battle  of  Sluys,  continued  to  build  gal- 
leys for  particular  service,  such  as  the  protection  of  their 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  209 

harbors,  etc.  The  great  victory  gained  by  the  English  king 
was  long  the  boast  of  his  subjects,  and  it  is  said  that  when 
news  of  it  reached  the  French  Court,  none  of  the  courtiers  of 
the  reigning  king,  Philip  of  Valois,  dared  to  tell  him  of  it. 
"  At  length,  however,  Philip's  jester,  upon  being  informed 
that  many  of  the  French  seamen  had  leaped  overboard  to 
avoid  the  arrows  of  the  English,  rushed  into  the  presence 
crying  out,  '  Oh,  the  cowardly  English !  the  faint-hearted 
English ! '  Whereupon  the  king  enquiring,  '  Why  such 
cowards;  what  have  they  done?'  'Why?'  replied  he, 'for 
not  daring  to  jump  into  the  sea,  as  j^our  Majesty's  brave 
Frenchmen  have  done ! '  " 

From  this  time  there  seems  to  have  been  no  improve- 
ment in  the  British  marine  until  the  accession  of  Henry  VII. 
to  the  kingdom  in  1485,  who  saw  the  importance  of  having 
some  ships  of  his  own  to  be  used  solely  as  men-of-war,  the 
vessels  hitherto  made  use  of  by  the  sovereigns  of  England 
being  a  mere  volunteer  force,  contributed  by  the  various  sea- 
port towns  of  the  kingdom,  when  an  emergency  made  it 
necessary,  and  laid  up,  or  employed  in  trade,  as  soon  as  the 
emergency  was  over. 

Henry's  largest  vessel  was  the  Henri  Grace  a  Dieu,  better 
known  as  the  Great  Harry^  "  which,"  says  Charnock,  "  may 
without  impropriety  be  termed  the  parent  of  the  present 
British  Navy,  and,  taking  this  view  of  it,  it  may  perhaps 
prove  interesting  to  seamen  to  have  a  full  account  of  the  ship 
in  Charnock's  own  language. 

"  The  representation  of  the  Henry  Grace  a  Dieu  is  pre- 
served and  transmitted  to  us  by  an  original  drawing  in  the 
Pepysian  library  at  Magdalen  college.  This  celebrated  float- 
ing structure,  the  existence  of  which  is  recorded  in  many  of 
the  ancient  chronicles,  cost  the  King,  by  report,  nearly  four- 
teen thousand  pounds,  this  will  be  found  a  very  considerable 
sum,  when  we  recollect  the  very  high  value  money  bore  in 
those  days.  Very  little  description  of  its  particular  form  is 
necessary,  the  singularity  of  it  being  sufficiently  apparent  in 


210  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

the  annexed  representation.  From  that  we  ^may  learn  the 
derivation  of  many  terms  preserved  even  to  the  present  hour, 
though  the  parts  consonant  to  those  on  which  the  names 
were  first  bestowed,  have  long  since  become  so  materially 
altered  in  their  form,  that  without  this,  or  some  similar  clue, 
Ave  might  be  at  a  loss  to  trace  the  true  cause  of  its  first  ap- 
plication, among  these  we  may  number  the  round-top,  the 
yard-arm,  and,  rude  as  its  form  is  in  the  painted  record,  and 
also  perhaps  in  the  original  itself,  the  forecastle. 

The  invention  of  port-holes  for  cannon  of  the  largest 
size  then  mounted  on  board  ships  was  extremely  recent ; 
and  the  first  use  made  of  the  contrivance  was  the  introduc- 
tion of  a  double  tier.  The  same  kind  of  attention  was  paid 
to  the  disposition  of  them  that  has  ever  since  that  time  been 
uniformly  practised,  a  circumstance  which  affords  an  unde- 
niable proof  that  however  improvement  is  admissible  on 
most  occasions,  there  are  some  inventions  which  defy  the 
further  power  of  human  ingenuity,  and  burst  forth,  even  at 
their  very  birth,  in  all  the  splendor  of  consummate  perfec- 
tion. Those  guns  which  appear  on  the  quarter  and  fore- 
castle, were  either  sakers  (five  pounders)  minions  (four 
pounders)  or  falcons  (two  pounders)  all  which  appear  to 
have  been  mounted  in  a  very  different  manner  from  those  on 
the  lower  decks.  Their  ports  were  circular  holes  cut  through 
the  sides  of  the  vessel,  so  small  as  scarcely  to  admit  the  guns 
being  traversed  in  the  smallest  degree,  or  fired  otherwise  than 
straight  forward.  This  fashion  of  circular  ports  prevailed 
in  Britain,  and  other  countries,  till  after  the  revolution  ;  but 
they  were  latterly  enlarged  so  as  to  obviate  the  principal  in- 
convenience which  at  first  attended  the  use  of  them.  The 
same  practice  was  observed  with  regard  to  such  other  small 
cannon  as  were  intended  for  the  defence  of  the  ship's  deck, 
in  case  the  enemy  proved  successful  in  an  attempt  to  board, 
and  for  that  reason  were  mounted  on  the  aftertnost  part  of 
the  forecastle.  The  two  pieces  of  ordnance  which  appear 
one  on  each  side  of  the  rudder,  being  meant  solely  for  de- 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  211 

fence  in  case  of  pursuit  from  a  superior  foe,  were  very  prop- 
erly styled  the  stern-chase ;  these  were  of  greater  calibre  and 
weight  than  any  others  in  the  ship,  being  either  demi-can- 
non,  nearly  of  the  same  bore  with  a  modern  thirty-two 
pounder,  or  cannon  petronels,  which  were  twenty-four  pound- 
ers. 

The  masts  were  five  in  number,  a  usage  which  continued 
in  'the  first-rates,  without  alteration  till  nearly  the  end  of 
the  reign  of  King  Charles  the  First ;  thev  were  without  di- 
vision, in  conformity  with  those  which  had  been  in  unim- 
proved use  from  the  earliest  ages.  This  inconvenience  it 
was  very  soon  found  indispensably  necessary  to  remedy,  by 
the  introduction  of  separate  joints,  or  topmasts,  which  could 
be  lowered  in  case  of  need,  an  improvement  that  tended 
to  the  safety  of  the  vessel,  which  might  very  frequently, 
but  for  that  prudent  precaution,  have  been  much  endangered 
by  the  violence  of  the  wind.  The  rigging  was  simple,  and 
at  first  somewhat  inadequate,  even  to  those  humble  wants  of 
our  ancestors,  which  a  comparison  with  the  present  state  of 
naval  tactics  fairly  permits  us  to  call  them  ;  but  the  defects 
were  gradually  remedied  as  experience  progressively  pointed 
them  out.  Of  the  ornaments  it  is  not  necessary  to  say  much, 
they  being  immaterial  to  those  grander  purposes  which  that 
wonderful  piece  of  mechanism,  called  a  ship,  was  intended 
to  answer;  they  consisted  of  a  multitude  of  small  flags,  dis- 
posed almost  at  random  on  different  parts  of  the  deck,  or  gun- 
wale of  the  vessel,  and  one  at  the  head  of  each  mast.  The 
standard  of  England  was  hoisted  on  that  which  occupied  the 
center  of  the  vessel ;  enormous  pendants,  or  streamers  were 
added,  though  an  ornament  which  must  have  been  very  often 
extremely  inconvenient.  This  mode  of  decoration  was  evi- 
dently borrowed  and  transferred  from  the  galley. 

Henry  VIII.  has  the  credit  of  having  been  the  first  sov- 
ereign in  Europe  to  establish  an  order  of  officers  who  should 
be  confined  to  the  sea-service,  without  which  there  could  be 
no  real  or  lasting  efficiency  in  his  marine,  and  he  built  sev- 


212        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

eral  "goodly  ships."  His  first  admiral  was  Sir  Edward  How- 
ard with  whom  he  made  a  written  contract  drawn  up  in  due 
form  and  commencing  thus  : 

"  Henry  VIII.  anno  regni  tercis,  anno  Dom.  1512,  suden- 
tura  inter  Dominum  Regem  et  Edwardum  Howard,  capita- 
neum  generalem  armatse  super  mare,  witnesseth,  that  tlie  said 
Sir  Edward  is  retained  towards  our  said  sovereign  lord,  to 
be  his  admiral  in  chief,  and  general  captain  of  the  army, 
which  his  highness  hath  proposed  and  ordained,  and  now 
setteth  to  the  sea,  for  the  safeguard  and  sure  passagfe  of  his 
subjects,  friends,  allies,  and  confederates." 

Sir  Edward  Howard  is  said  to  have  been  a  brave  soldier 
and  skilful  seaman,  who  held  it  as  a  maxim  that  "no  sailor 
could  be  good  for  anything,  unless  he  were  resolute  to  a  de- 
gree of  madness." 

He  lost  his  life  in  an  attempt  to  cut  out  six  gallies  and 
four  foists  in  the  bay  of  Conquet  near  Brest,  and  when  h  e 
saw  it  was  impossible  to  escape  he  took  the  whistle  (the 
badge  of  his  degree)  from  his  neck  and  threw  it  into  the  sea, 
before  he  himself  was  borne  overboard  by  the  Frenchmen's 
pikes.  And  it  is  gratifying  to  know  that  Henry  was  "  right 
sorry  for  his  admiral's  death." 

Henry's  own  death  took  place  in  1553,  and  more  had  been 
done  for  the  improvement  of  the  Navy  in  his  than  in  any 
former  reign.  In  this  reign  it  was  that  a  Navy  ofiice  was 
formed,  and  that  regular  arsenals  were  established  at  Ports- 
mouth, Woolwich,  and  Deptford.  Henry  is  said  to  have 
greatly  improved  the  models  of  his  vessels,  employing  many 
Italian  shipwrights  in  his  service,  and  to  have  left  to  his  suc- 
cessor, Edward  the  Sixth,  a  force  of  seventy-one  vessels,  thirty 
of  which  were  ships,  and  the  remainder  small  barks  and  roAV- 
barges  of  from  one  hundred  to  fifteen  tons  measurement.  He 
had  also  two  row-galleys.  A  few  years  after  his  death  this 
force  was  greatly  reduced,  and  the  navy  languished  until  the 
time  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  "  who  began  to  provide  against  war 
that  she  might  the  more  quietly  enjoy  peace, — and  was  called 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  213 

the  restorer  of  the  glory  of  shipping,  and  queen  of  the  North 
sea.  And  now  the  wealthier  inhabitants  of  the  sea-coast, 
in  imitation  of  their  princess,  built  ships  of  war,  striving 
Avho  should  excel,  insomuch  that  the  queen's  navy,  joined 
with  her  subjects'  shipping,  was  in  a  short  time  so  puissant, 
that  it  was  able  to  bring  forth  20,000  fighting  men  for  sea- 
service." 


THE  INTINCIBLE  ARMADA  ! 

Such,  then,  was  the  condition  of  British  Naval  affairs 
when  the  Demon  of  the  Souths  as  the  Flemings  not  unnatu- 
rally styled  Philip  the  Second,  the  man  who  from  his  closet 
in  Madrid  aspired  to  govern  the  world,  and  whose  abhor- 
rence of  Protestantism  was  so  intense,  that  he  declared  "  if 
his  own  son  were  a  heretic  he  would  carry  wood  to  burn 
him,"  projected  the  invasion  of  Protestant  England.  Se- 
cretly at  first,  but  finally  with  the  publicity  which  could  no 
longer  be  avoided,  "  the  patient  letter-writer  "  set  about  pro- 
viding the  means  necessary  for  the  accomplishment  of  his 
purpose  until  every  dockyard  and  arsenal  of  Spain  resounded 
with  the  hum  of  a  busy  multitude  laboring  incessantly  by 
night  and  by  day.  New  ships  were  built  and  old  ones  re- 
paired, and  immense  quantities  of  naval  and  military  stores 
forwarded  to  the  Netherlands,  which  was  to  serve  as  the  base 
of  supplies  for  the  invaders  ;  and  the  enormous  wealth  accru- 
ing to  Philip,  from  the  enthralment  of  the  New  World,  was 
poured  out,  like  water,  for  the  subjection  of  all  that  was  free 
in  the  old.  Rendezvous  for  the  shipment  of  seamen  were 
opened  in  every  sea-board  to  wn,  while  throughout  Philip's  vast 
domain,  there  was  not  a  hamlet  so  insignificant,  nor  a  cottage 
so  lonely  but  that  the  recruiting-sergeant  made  his  way  to  it, 
in  his  eagerness  to  raise  troops  for  the  grand  army,  which, 
blessed  by  the  Pope,  and  led  by  the  famous  Duke  of  Parma, 
was  destined,  it  was  confidently  believed,  to  march  in  tri- 


214  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

umph  through  the  streets  of  London,  and,  by  one  sweeping 
auto  da  /e,  extirpate  heresy  from  that  accursed  land,  which 
every  Spanish  Catholic  was  taught  to  regard  as  the  Devil's 
stronghold. 

.  Volunteers,  too,  of  every  degree,  and  from  every  corner 
of  Europe  hastened  to  enlist  under  the  banner  of  Castile.  Of 
these  many  were  religious  bigots,  impelled  to  this  crusade 
against  the  English  by  fanatic  zeal ;  a  few,  men  of  exalted 
character  not  unknown  to  fame  ;  but  by  far  the  greater  num- 
ber need}'  adventurers  seeking  for  spoil.  At  length,  in 
April,  1588,  after  nearly  three  years  of  preparation,  the 
army  of  invasion,  60,000  strong,  was  concentrated  at  Dun- 
kirk and  Newport,  where  flat-bottomed  transports  were  made 
ready  for  its  reception ;  but  still  the  Armada,  that  was  to 
convoy  the  transports,  and  cover  the  landing  of  the  troops, 
on  their  arrival  in  England,  loitered  in  Lisbon,  waiting  for  a 
favorable  wind.  Toward  the  end  of  May,  however,  it  moved 
out  of  the  Tagus,  by  detachments,  and  passing  the  dangerous 
shoals  called  the  Cachopos  in  safety,  took  its  departure  from 
Cape  Roca,  the  Westernmost  point  of  Portugal  and  of  the  con- 
tinent of  Europe,  on  the  1st  of  June,  sailing  with  alight  South- 
westerly breeze  due  North.  The  fleet  consisted  in  all  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty-two  vessels,  carrying  3165  guns,  21,639 
soldiers,  8,745  seamen,  and  2,088  galley-slaves ;  and  its  ag- 
gregate burden  was  not  less  than  65,000  tons. 

The  Saint  Martin,  a  vessel  of  50  guns  belonging  to  the 
squadron  furnished  by  Portugal,  had  the  honor  of  wearing 
the  flag  of  the  Commander-in-Chief,  the  Duke  of  Medina  Si- 
donia,  a  powerful  and  gallant  nobleman,  but  one  who  had 
had  no  experience  at  sea,  and,  unfortunately  for  his  country 
the  Duke  had  surrounded  himself  with  a  staff  of  military  men 
as  utterly  ignorant  of  naval  affairs  as  their  Chief.  Making 
its  way  at  an  average  rate  of  but  about  thirteen  miles  a 
day  the  unwieldy  armada  passed  the  Berlingas  and  Farilhoes 
islets,  crept  by  Figuera,  Oporto,  and  Vigo,  and,  finally,  on 
the  morning  of  the  19th  of  May,  lay  becalmed  off  Cape  Fin- 


THE  GALLET  PERIOD.'  215 

isterre.     Up  to  this  time,  although  the  winds  had  been  baf- 
fling, the  weather  had  been  pleasant  and  the  sea  as  smooth 
as  glass,  but  now  the  Spaniards  were  assailed  by  a  tempest 
which  might  be  called  fearful  even  in  the  stormy  bay  of 
Biscay,  and  which,  blowing  fitfully,  in  heavy  squalls,  all  day 
long,  had  by  nightfall  settled  into  a  steady  gale  from  W.  N. 
W.,  driving  before  it  a  tremendous  sea,  whose  surges  broke 
with  a  roar  distinctly  heard  above  the  fierce  howling  of  the 
wind.     Yet,  though  the  sea  ran  high,  it  was  not  irregular, 
and  the  armada,  on  the  port  tack  and  under  snug  canvass, 
was  still  making  good  weather  of  it,  when,  a  little  after  mid- 
night, the  wind  suddenly  shifted  to  Northeast,  taking  every 
ship  under  square  sail  flat  aback,  and  blowing  with  the  vio- 
lence of  a  tornado.     Some  of  the  vessels,  gathering  stern- 
board,  lost  their  rudders,  some,  thrown  on  their  beam-ends, 
were  forced  to  cut  away  their  masts  and  throw  overboard 
their  batteries,  Avhile  all  lost  their  sails  and  top-hamper,  and 
not  a  few  even  their  upper  deck  cabins ;  so  that  when  day 
dawned  the  melancholy  spectacle  presented  itself  of  a  whole 
fleet  adrift  on  the  ocean,  many  of  whose  noblest  vessels  were 
lying  in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  which  ever  and  anon  made  a 
clean  breach  over  them,  carrying  many  a  poor  fellow  to  his 
final  home.     But  worst  of  all  was  the  condition  of  the  Diana, 
a  huge  Portuguese  galley,  which,  knocked  down  at  the  first 
shift  of  wind,  and  with  everything  gone  by  the  board,  had  not 
righted,  but  gradually  filled  with  water,  and  was  now  fast  set- 
tling by  the  stern.     As  the  officers  and  men  of  the  rest  of  the 
armada,  forgetful  of  their  own  danger  in  their  sympathy  for 
their  distressed   comrades,  gazed  upon  her,  with  throbbing 
hearts,  she  went  down,  with  a  great  groan,  like  a  living  crea- 
ture, carrying  with  her  every  soul  on  board.     And  next,  as 
if  to  add  to  the  horrors  of  the  storm  and  shipwreck,  a  mutiny 
broke  out  among  the  rowers  of  the  galley  Vasana  (a  motley 
crew  of  Turks,  Moors,  and  Christians),  who  had  long  been 
watching  an  opportunity  to  strike  for  freedom,  and  who  now 
seeing  their  vessel  to  windward  of  all  the  armada  with  the 


216        THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

exception  of  the  Capitana,  also  a  galley,  which  was  more  than 
a  mile  away  from  them,  judged  the  occasion  favorable  for  the 
accomplishment  of  their  purpose.  Led  by  a  Welshman 
named  David  Gwynn,  the  mutineers  attacked  the  sailors  and 
soldiers  of  the  Vasana  whom  they  somewhat  outnumbered, 
and  who,  taken  by  surprise,  had  no  time  to  seize  their  arms, 
while  each  assailant  snatched  from  his  bosom,  where  it  had 
long  lain  hid,  a  trusty  stiletto.  While  this  strife  was  going 
on,  the  commander  of  the  Capitana  had  not  been  idle,  but 
running  as  close  to  his  consort  as  the  heavy  sea  would  per- 
mit, and  finding  her  already  in  the  hands  of  the  intrepid 
Welshman,  he  poured  a  broadside  into  her,  which  made  her 
very  timbers  quake,  and  filled  her  decks  with  dead  and 
wounded  men.  At  this  moment,  however,  while  engaged 
with  the  enemy  from  without,  the  crew  of  the  Capitana 
found  themselves  threatened  with  a  greater  danger  from 
within  ;  for  their  own  slaves  (whether  or  not  they  had  had 
previous  notice  of  what  was  about  to  transpire  aboard  the 
Vasana,  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain)  now  took  a  part 
in  the  engagement,  and  rushing  upon  their  late  masters  and 
oppressors,  with  such  weapons  as  they  had  beforehand  pro- 
vided or  could  seize  at  the  moment,  they  attacked  them  with 
a  fury  and  resolution  that  could  not  be  withstood.  The 
struggle  for  the  mastery  of  the  Capitana's  deck  was  furious 
but  brief,  ending  in  the  complete  triumph  of  tlie  galley- 
slaves,  who,  like  their  brothers  of  the  Yasana,  gave  quarter 
neither  to  beardless  youth  nor  hoary  old  age.  After  the 
massacre  was  over,  the  bodies  of  the  unfortunates  were  con- 
signed to  the  deep,  and,  the  gale  soon  after  abating,  the 
Vasana'  and  Capitana  were  run  into  Bayonne,  France, 
where  Gwynn,  according  to  Motley,  was  graciously  received 
by  Henry  of  Navarre,  while  the  crippled  armada,  despoiled 
of  three  of  its  finest  galleys,  made  its  way,  as  best  it  could, 
to  the  various  sea-ports  distributed  along  the  northern  coast 
of  Spain.  Corunna  having  been  named,  however,  in  the 
sailing  directions  of  its  squadron  commanders,  as  the  rendez- 


&" 


It     a- 


■^rCT 


^1^1 


THE  GALLEY  PERIQD,  217 

vous  in  case  of  separation,  it  soon  concentrated  there, 
whence,  after  a  month  spent  in  repairing  damages,  it  sailed 
on  the  22d  of  July  for  Calais. 

Favored  with  fair  winds  and  fine  weather,  the  Spaniards 
struck  soundings  in  the  English  channel,  on  the  28th,  and 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  following  day,  sighted  and  were 
seen  from  the  Lizard,  when  all  England  became  aware  that 
the  danger  which  had  long  threatened  was  at  hand,  and 
prepared  resolutely  to  meet  it.  The  British  fleet  was  lying 
off  Plymouth  at  the  time,  and  the  wind  was  blowing  directly 
into  the  harbor ;  but  its  commander-in-chief.  Lord  Howard 
of  Effingham,  the  Lord  High  Admiral  of  England,  was  equal 
to  the  emergency,  and  before  day  dawne.d  on  the  following 
morning,  sixty-seven  of  his  best  ships  had  been  kedged  into 
deep  water,  and,  led  by  such  men  as  Drake,  Frobisher  and 
Hawkins,  were  keeping  a  sharp  lookout  for  the  Spaniards 
off'  the  Eddystone  rock,  while  every  hour  a  half  dozen  or 
more  vessels  were  added  to  the  number.  All  the  forenoon 
the  wind  was  light  and  the  weather  thick;  but  towards 
evening,  a  fine  southwesterly  breeze  lifting  the  misty  curtain 
that  lay  between  them,  the  hostile  fleets  had  a  full  view  of 
each  other. 

The  Armada,  in  splendid  battle  array,  in  the  form  of  a 
half  moon,  and  in  such  compact  order  that  its  flanking 
vessels  were  separated  by  a  distance  of  but  seven  miles, 
was  steering  steadily  up  the  channel  and  with  its  frowning 
cannon  of  much  heavier  calibre  than  anything  the  English 
carried,  presented  so  formidable  an  appearance  that  the 
Lord  Admiral  at  once  saw  that  he  could  not  successfully 
confront  it.  He,  therefore,  permitted  it  to  pass  him  without 
firing  a  shot,  but  hung  upon  its  rear,  watching  an  oppor- 
tunity to  put  off  any  of  its  vessels  which  should  chance 
to  drop  astern  of  the  others.  It  was  not  until  the  next 
day,  however,  Sunday,  July  31st,  that  an  opportunity 
offered  for  attacking  to  advantage.  Then  "  sending  a  pin- 
nace before  him,  called  the  Defiance  to  denounce  war  against 


218       THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

the  enemy  by  the  discharge  of  all  her  guns,"  Howard  imme- 
diately opened  fire  from  his  own  ship,  the  Ark-Royal,  on  a 
large  galleon,  commanded  by  Don  Alphonso  de  Leyva  which 
he  took  to  be  the  Admiral's  ship,  while  the  combined  squad- 
rons of  Drake,  Frobisher  and  HaAvkins  cannonaded  furiously 
the  fleet  of  Biscay,  which,  consisting  of  fourteen  vessels,  car- 
rying 302  guns,  and  commanded  by  Vice  Admiral  Recalde, 
an  officer  of  great  experience,  had  been  formed  into  a  rear 
guard,  in  anticipation  of  an  attack  from  that  quarter.  Re- 
calde maintained  the  unequal  fight  with  great  obstinacy  for 
some  hours,  all  the  while  endeavoring  to  get  within  small 
arm  range  of  the  English,  which  he  knew  would  be  fatal  to 
them,  since  he  had  a  large  force  of  arquebusiers  in  his  divis- 
ion ;  but  his  wary  antagonists  whose  vessels  "  light,  weath- 
erly  and  nimble,  sailed  six  feet  to  the  Spaniards  two  and 
tacked  twice  to  their  once  "  evaded  every  effort  to  close,  and 
keeping  at  "  long  taw,"  inflicted  much  injury  on  their  enemy 
without  receiving  the  slightest  themselves.  At  length,  how- 
ever, the  Duke  of  Medina  Sidonia  signalled  to  Recalde  to 
join  the  main  body  of  the  fleet,  and  hoisting  the  royal  stand- 
ard of  Spain  at  his  main,  drew  out  his  whole  force  in  order 
of  battle,  and  endeavored  tjo  bring  on  a  general  engagement ; 
but  this  Howard  prudently  avoided  ;  and  so  the  Spaniards 
had  to  keep  on  their  course  again  up  channel,  and  '*  main- 
tain a  running  fight  of  it,"  the  English  now,  as  before,  hang- 
ing on  their  rear,  and  receiving  re-enforcements  every  hour 
from  their  sea-port  towns,  in  full  view  of  which,  as  the  Ar- 
mada hugged  the  English  shore,  Howard  and  his  gallant  men 
were  passing. 

But  the  night  that  followed  was  one  fraught  with  disaster 
to  the  Spaniards ;  for  the  gunner  of  the  Santa  Ana,  a 
Fleming  by  birth,  who  had  been  reprimanded  by  his  captain 
for  neglect  of  duty,  in  revenge,  laid  a  train  to  the  magazine, 
and  blew  the  whole  of  the  after  part  of  the  ship  up, 
with  more  than  half  her  officers  and  crew.  The  vessels 
nearest  to  the  Santa  Ana  hurried  to  the  assistance  of  the 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  519 

survivors,  and,  in  the  confusion  that  ensued,  a  couple  of  gal- 
leys fell  foul  of  the  flag-ship  of  the  Andalusian  squadron, 
and  carried  away  her  foremast  close  to  the  deck,  so  that  she 
dropped  astern  of  the  Armada,  and,  the  night  being  dark, 
was  soon  lost  sight  of  by  her  friends  and  assailed  by  her 
enemies.  Being  well  manned  and  carrying  50  guns  she  was 
enabled  to  maintain  the  defensive  until  day  dawned,  when, 
finding  the  English  hemming  her  in  on  all  sides,  Don  Pedro 
de  Valdez,  whose  flag  she  carried,  gave  orders  to  her  com- 
mander to  strike  to  Drake  in  the  Revenge,  which  was  pres- 
ently done,  much  to  the  chagrin  of  Frobisher  and  Hawkins, 
who  had  hoped  to  make  prize  of  her  themselves.  Drake  re- 
ceived Don  Pedro  very  courteously,  and  kept  him  with  him 
until  the  10th  of  August,  so  that  the  Spaniard  was  an  eye-wit- 
ness of  all  the  subsequent  operations  of  the  hostile  fleets  and 
of  th^  final  discomfiture  of  his  countrymen ;  but  the  imme- 
diate commander  of  the  surrendered  vessel,  was  spared  this 
humiliation,  since  Drake  "  sent  him  prisoner  to  Dartmouth 
and  left  the  money  on  board  the  prize  to  be  plundered  by  his 
men." 

All  the  next  day  was  spent  by  the  Duke  in  re-arranging 
his  fleet,  and,  after  its  various  vessels  had  taken  the  places 
assigned  them,  each  captain  was  strictly  enjoined  in  written 
orders,  not  to  leave  his  station  under  penalty  of  death.  In 
this  new  order  the  rear-guard  was  increased  to  forty-three 
vessels,  and  placed  under  Don  Alfonso  de  Leyva,  who  had 
orders  to  avoid  skirmishing  as  much  as  possible,  but  not  to 
lose  any  opportunity  that  might  offer  for  bringing  on  a  de- 
cisive battle. 

On  the  2d  of  August,  at  daylight,  the  wind  shifted  to 
the  northeast,  whereupon  the  Spaniards,  being  to  wind- 
ward, bore  down  upon  the  English  under  full  sail ;  but 
the  latter,  squaring  away  and  refusing,  as  before,  to  let  their 
assailants  close  with  them,  the  engagement  was  without 
result,  there  being  but  little  loss  on  the  side  of  the  Spaniards, 
and  "  one  Mr.  Cock,"  according  to  Burchett,  "  being  the  only 

15 


220  THE  FLEETS  0^  THE  WORLD. 

Englishman  who  fell,  whilst  he  was  bravely  fighting  against 
the  enemy  in  a  small  vessel  of  his  own." 

Towards  evening  the  wind  backed  to  west,  and  the 
Armada  continued  its  course  for  Calais.  On  the  3d  of 
August  there  was  a  cessation  of  hostility  on  both  sides,  and 
the  Lord  High  Admiral  received  a  supply  of  powder  and  ball, 
and  a  re-enforcement  of  ships,  "  whereupon  he  determined  to 
attack  the  enemy  in  the  dead  of  the  ensuing  night ;  but  was 
prevented  by  a  calm." 

On  the  4th  of  August,  however,  oiie  of  the  Spanish  ships 
not  being  able  to  keep  up  with  the  rest  was  made  a  prize  of 
by  the  English.  This  brought  on  a  sharp  engagement 
between  the  Spanish  rear-guard  and  the  l^nglish  advance, 
under  Frobisher,  which  would  have  resulted  in  Frobisher's 
capture  had  not  Howard  himself  gone  to  the  rescue,  in  the 
Ark-Royal,  "  followed  by  the  Lion,  the  Bear,  the  Bull  and 
the  Elizabeth,  and  a  great  number  of  smaller  vessels." 

The  fighting  for  a  while  was  severe;  but  as  soon  as 
Frobisher  was  relieved,  Howard,  observing  that  the  Duke 
was  approaching  with  the  main  body  of  the  Spanish  fleet, 
prudently  gave  the  order  to  retire.  It  was  indeed  high  time, 
for  his  own  vessel  was  so  badlj^  crippled  that  she  had  to 
be  towed  out  of  action ;  and,  although  he  took  occasion 
afterward  to  knight  the  Lord  Thomas  Howard,  the  Lord 
Sheffield,  Roger  Townsend,  Hawkius  and  Frobisher,  for  their 
gallantry  on  this  occasion,  it  was  determined  at  a  Council  of 
War  "not  to  make  any  further  attempt  upon  the  enemy 
until  they  should  be  arrived  in  the  Straits  of  Dover,  where 
the  Lord  Henry  Seymour  and  Sir  William  Winter  were  lying 
in  wait  for  them," — a  very  convincing  proof  that  the  English 
were  worsted  in  the  encounter. 

So  the  Armada  kept  on  its  way  unmolested,  before 
"  an  easy  gale  at  S.W.  by  S.,"  past  Hastings  and  Dungeness, 
until  it  got  to  the  north  of  the  Varne,  when,  leaving  the 
English  coast,  it  hauled  up  for  Calais  Roads,  where  it 
anchored  on  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  August  6th,  close  in 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  221 

to  shore,  with  the  castle  of  the  town  bearing  from  its  centre 
due  east ;  and  not  two  miles  away  was  the  English  fleet, 
which  now  came  to  anchor  also,  and,  strengthened  by  the 
accession  of  Seymour's  and  Winter's  squadrons,  numbered 
not  less  than  a  hundred  and  forty  sail,  "all  stout  ships, 
though  the  main  stress  of  battle  lay  not  upon  more  than 
fifteen  of  them." 

Since  his  arrival  in  English  waters  the  Duke  had  not 
suffered  a  day  to  pass  without  despatching  a  messenger  across 
the  Channel  to  France,  and  thence  by  land,  to  the  Duke  of 
Parma,  to  advise  him  of  the  Armada's  approach  and  to 
impress  upon  him  the  necessity  of  his  being  ready  to  make 
his  descent  upon  England  the  moment  it  reached  Calais, 
and,  especially,  he  desired  him  to  send  to  him  with  all 
despatch  pilots  for  the  French  and  Flemish  coasts,  which  no 
one  in  the  fleet,  he  declared,  had  the  slightest  knowledge  of. 

It  was,  then,  with  a  feeling  of  bitter  disappointment  that, 
upon  reaching  Calais,  he  found  not  a  single  transport  await- 
ing his  arrival. 

All  that  night  and  the  following  day,  Aug.  7th,  the  vast 
fleet  lay  idly  at  anchor,  vainly  watching  for  the  coming  of 
Parma's  army,  whose  egress  from  Newport  and  Dunkirk  was 
simply  an  impossibility,  since  the  fleets  of  HfJland  and 
Zealand  were  in  full  possession  of  all  the  narrow  channels 
between  Newport  and  Hils  Banks  and  the  Flemish  shore, 
and  Parma  had  not  a  single  vessel  of  war  to  oppose  to  them. 

As  the  sun  went  down  on  the  evening  of  the  7th,  behind 
a  thick  bank  of  clouds,  the  anxiety  of  the  seamen  of  the  fleet 
grew  more  and  more  intense :  for  they,  at  least,  recognized 
fully  the  insecurity  of  their  anchorage,,  whence  a  northwest- 
erly gale,  such  as  then  might  be  looked  for  at  any  instant, 
would  be  sure  to  drive  them  pell-mell  upon  the  treacherous 
quick-sands  under  their  lee. 

While  such  was  the  state  of  mind  of  the  watchers  on 
board  the  Armada,  the  English  themselves  were  full  of  appre- 
hensions lest  Parma's  transports,  eluding  the  vigilance  of  the 


222  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD, 

Dutch  cruisers,  should,  at  any  moment,  heave  in  view,  but 
noticing  the  threatening  appearance  of  the  sky,  and  listening 
to  the  surf  on  the  shore,  which  to  their  experienced  eyes  and 
ears  forboded  a  storm,  they  became  reassured,  and,  a  little 
before  midnight  of  the  7th, — the  weather  being  so  thick  that 
objects  could  not  be  discerned  at  any  distance,  and  the  cur- 
rent then  setting  towards  their  enemies, — they  prepared  to 
send  into  their  midst  eight  fire-ships  which  they  had  all  day 
long  been  preparing.  .  The  honor  of  having  originated  this 
project  has  been  assigned  to  various  persons,  but,  in  truth, 
there  was  but  little  honor  to  be  derived  from  it,  since  from 
the  earliest  antiquity  it  had  been  the  custom  among  seamen 
to  send  fire-ships  and  fire-rafts  among  the  enemy's  vessels 
whenever  they  found  them,  as  in  this  instance,  huddled 
closely  together.  The  coolness  of  Young  and  Prouse,  how- 
ever, in  towing  them  into  position  is,  certainly,  worthy  of 
all  admiration,  and  contrasts  strongly  enough  with  the 
Spaniard's  want  of  pluck  on  this  occasion,  whose  panic  terror 
must,  however,  be  ascribed  to  the  presence  among  them  of 
certain  artillerymen  who,  at  Antwerp,  three  years  before, 
had  witnessed  the  explosion  of  a  floating  mine,  constructed 
by  an  Italian  engineer  named  Giannibelli,  "  which  had 
seemed  to  rend  asunder  both  the  earth  and  the  air,"  and 
doomed  to  instant  destruction  more  than  a  thousand  vete- 
rans, among  whom,  was  "  that  much  lamented  cavalry  general, 
the  Marquis  of  Rouvaise."  These  soldiers  knowing  that  the 
man  of  "  diabolical  imagination  "  was  then  in  the  service  of 
England,  no  sooner  saw  the  fire-ships,  "  all  alight  with  flame 
from  their  kelsons  to  their  mast-heads,"  drifting  down  upon 
them,  than  they  imagined  that  Giannibelli  himself  was  in 
their  midst ;  and  wringing  their  hands  and  shouting  wildly 
each  to  the  other,  "  Giannibelli !  Giannibelli !  we  are  lost ! 
we  are  lost !  "  they  distributed  the  contagion  of  their  fear 
throughout  the  fleet.  Amid  this  "  hideous  clamor  "  the  Duke 
of  Medina  Sidonia,  who  had  been  warned  by  Philip  to  be  on 
his  guard  against  any  attempt  "  on  the  part  of  Drake  to  burn 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD.  223 

his  vessels,"  with  perfect  self-possession  made  the  signal  agreed 
upon,  "  to  cut  cables  and  stand  clear  of  the  danger,"  and  in 
a  few  minutes  the  Armada  was  under  sail  and  out  of  harm's 
way ;  but  the  "  confusion  and  fright  "  among  its  various  ves- 
sels continued  all  night  through,  so  that  when  about  4  A.  M., 
the  Duke  fired  a  gun  for  the  fleet  to  rally,  and  return  to  its 
anchorage,  "  its  report  was  not  heard  by  many,  their  fears 
having  so  dispersed  them  that  some  had  got  a  considerable 
distance  out  to  sea,  and  others  among  the  shoals  on  the  coast 
of  Flanders." 

When  the  day  *'  dawned  with  fresh  southwesterly 
squalls,"  some  of  the  Spanish  vessels  were  observed  by  the 
English  to  be  in  a  crippled  condition  and  drifting  to  lee- 
ward, while  the  St.  Lawrence,  flag-ship  of  the  squadron  of 
galleasses — a  class  of  vessels  that  had  contributed  so  pow- 
erfully to  the  glories'  of  Lepanto — was  endeavoring  to 
get  into  the  harbor  of  Calais.  Her  rudder  was  gone, 
and  notwithstanding  that  her  rowers  were  doing  their 
utmost  to  keep  her  in  the  narrow  channel  leading  to  the 
town,  she  yawed  wildly  across  it,  from  time  to  time,  and 
finally  grounded  on  a  sand  bank  within  a  few  hundred  yards 
of  the  castle.  In  this  helpless  condition  she  was  attacked 
by  the  boats  of  the  British  fleet,  and  after  a  brave 
resistance,  during  which  many  fell  on  both  sides,  boarded 
and  carried.  As  she  was  directly  under  the  guns  of  the 
castle,  however,  the  governor  of  Calais  claimed  her  "  as  of 
right  pertaining  to  him,"  and  so,  the  English  contenting 
themselves  with  such  plunder  as  they  could  obtain  on  board 
of  her,  and  mindful  of  the  good  political  and  military  maxim 
*'not  to  carry  on  two  wars  at  once,"  wisely  withdrew  to 
their  ships.  They  were  no  sooner  returned,  than  Howard  bore 
up  for  the  Armada,  which  was  overtaken  off  Gravelines,  sailing 
in  double  echelon  with  its  flanks  protected  "by  the  three 
remaining  galleasses  and  by  the  great  galleons  of  Portugal." 

The  Duke  at  once  came  by  the  wind  with  the  signal 
for   close   action — the  royal   standard  flying   at    his  fore; 


224  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

but  the  English  having  handiness^  speed,  and  the  weather- 
gage  in  their  favor  weve  enabled,  as  on  former  occasions,  to 
choose  their  own  distance  for  engaging,  and  after  a  desultory 
but  hot  fight  of  six  hours,  the  Duke,  finding  that  a  large 
number  of  his  men  were  slain,  three  of  his  best  ships  sunk, 
and  many  more  placed  hors  de  combat^  while  there  was  not  a 
single  shot  left  in  his  locker,  nor  the  slightest  chance  of  his 
bringing  his  wary  antagonist  Howard  within  boarding  dis- 
tance "  or  of  Parma's  coming  out  to  join  him,"  reluctantly 
telegraphed  to  the  fleet  "  to  make  its  way  to  Spain,  north 
about  the  British  isles,"  and  kept  away  for  the  North  sea. 
With  the  sands  of  Zealand  threatening  him  on  the  one  hand, 
and  on  the  other  the  legitimate  sons  of  Neptune,  the  odds, 
indeed,  were  too  greatly  against  him,  and  the  chivalrous 
Spaniard  had  no  resource  left  to  him  but  retreat.  That  night 
"  a  double-reefed  topsail  breeze  "  came  out  from  the  north, 
and  the  next  day  some  of  the  Spanish  vessels  were  in  such 
close  proximity  to  a  dangerous  shoal  called  the  Oovst  bank 
that  their  enemies,  who  were  still  following  them,  each  in- 
stant expected  to  see  them  take  the  ground ;  but  a  favorable 
change  of  wind  extricating  them  from  their  perilous  position, 
they  once  more  steered  for  the  open  sea,  with  squared  yards 
and  all  their  canvas  spread.  The  English  kept  after  them 
until  Friday,  August  12th,  when  being  themselves  out  of 
ammunition  and  their  provisions  falling  short  besides,  they 
determined  "  to  wrestle  no  further  pull,"  and  coming  by  the 
wind,  stood  back  to  the  land,  which,  when  it  received  the 
glad  tidings  brought  by  the  Lord  High  Admiral  might  truly 
be  called  "  merry  England." 

It  has  been  asserted  "  on  the  authority  of  certain  Dutch 
fishermen,"  that  Medina  Sidonia  so  much  dreaded  the  pas- 
sage, "  around  the  grim  Hebrides,"  that  he  was  on  the  point 
of  surrender  to  Howard  when  he  approached  him  last,  but 
was  dissuaded  from  doing  so  by  the  ecclesiastics  on  board 
his  vessel ;  but  this  story,  as  well  as  the  one  told  by  the 
Spanish  soldiers,  who  were  taken  prisoners  in  the  fight  of 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  225 

August  8th,  and  who  wished  to  curry  favor  with  their 
captors,  that  this  fight  "  far  exceeded  the  battle  of  Lepanto,'* 
may  safely  be  classed  with  the  marvellous  narrations  of  the 
"  intelligent  contraband  "  and  "  the  reliable  gentleman  just 
from  Richmond,"  so  often  brought  to  the  front  during  the 
great  civil  war  in  America. 

Why  indeed  should  the  Duke  have  surrendered  to  a  force 
unable  to  fire  a  shot  at  him,  and  which,  had  it  ventured 
within  boarding  distance  of  the  Armada,  must  inevitably 
have  fallen  into  his  hands?  Was  not  the  St.  Matthew, 
when  assailed  in  a  sorely  crippled  condition  by  the  squadron 
under  Van  des-Dus,  defended  by  her  commander  for  two  long 
hours,  and  did  not  several  Spanish  vessels,  refusing  to  strike 
when  they  were  in  a  sinking  condition,  go  down  with  their 
colors  flying?  Was  then  the  commander-in-chief  less  cour- 
ageous, than  his  subordinates?  Let  the  truth  be  told. 
Medina  Sidonia,  from  his  want  of  experience  at  sea,  was 
utterly  disqualified  to  command  the  great  fleet  intrusted 
to  his  care ;  but  Spain  possessed  no  braver  man  than  he. 

The  history  of  the  Armada,  after  Howard  parted  company 
with  it,  is  one  of  shipwreck  and  disaster,*  many  of  its  vessels 
being  lost  on  the  coasts  of  Scotland  and  Ireland,  and  many 
foundering  at  sea,  while  of  its  squadron  leaders — men  of  high 
rank  and  reputation — but  few  lived  to  return  to  their  native 
land ;  so  that  when  the  Duke  reached  Santander  in  October, 
with  all  that  was  left  of  his  command,  less  than  half  of  its 
original  strength,  and  the  whole  measure  of  the  calamity  that 
had  befallen  the  nation  became  known  throughout  Spain,  there 
was  hardly  a  family  in  the  land  but  went  into  mourning  for  the 
loss  of  one  or  more  of  its  members,  "  insomuch  that  king  Philip 
was  forced  by  proclamation  to  shorten  the  usual  time  for  the 
same  as  the  Romans  of  old,  upon  their  great  defeat  at  Canna, 
found  it  necessary  to  limit  the  public  grief  to  thirty  days." 

*  For  a  full  and  circumstantial  account  of  the  frightful  sufferings  of  the 
Spaniards  on  their  homeward  bound  voyage,  see  Froude,  vol.  xii.  ch. 


226  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

A  merchant  of  Lisbon,  however,  who  was  imprudent  enough 
to  express  some  joy  at  the  misfortunes  of  the  conquerors  of  his 
people,  was  immediately  hanged  by  Philip's  order.  "  Thus," 
says  Motley,  "  men  remarked  that  one  could  neither  cry  nor 
laugh  within  the  Spanish  domains." 

The  Catholic  world  was  much  puzzled  to  know  how  a 
fleet,  which  had  been  blessed  by  the  Pope,  could  have  so 
signally  failed  of  accomplishing  its  object ;  but  the  Spanish 
priests  solved  the  enigma,  when  they  discovered  that  it  was 
all  owing  to  Drake,  who  had  sold  himself  to  the  devil  on  con- 
dition of  being  allowed  to  triumph  over  the  Spaniards  ;  and 
it  was  a  source  of  infinite  satisfaction  to  all  pious  Catholics, 
when,  upon  Drake's  departing  this  life,  a  few  years  later 
(1596),  off  Porto  Bello,  they  were  assured  that  his  soul, 
without  stopping  at  purgatory,  had  taken  the  most  direct 
route  to  hell.  Their  pleasure  was  still  further  enhanced 
when  in  1602,  Lope  de  Vega,  who  had  served  in  the  Armada, 
published  his  poem  called  La  Dragontea.,  wherein  Christianity, 
in  the  form  of  a  beautiful  woman,  prays  to  God  to  protect 
Spain,  Italy  and  America  from  he  reticsin  general,  and  from, 
"that  Protestant  Scotch  pirate,"  *  in  particular.  But  a  more 
reasonable  explanation  of  the  cause  of  the  Pope's  failure  in 
this  instance,  would  seem  to  a  Protestant  mind  to  be  in  the 
fact  that  His  Holiness  had  altogether  forgotten  when  he  so 
liberally  bestowed,  the  British  channel  upon  his  favorites, 
that  the  refractory  Howard  was  bishop  of  that  diocese.  The 
Saints^  it  is  true,  were  all  on  the  side  of  the  Spaniards,  and 
the  greater  part  of  them  were  actually  in  the  Armada;  but  it 
is  not  to  be  presumed  that  they  were  then,  more  than  now, 
a  match  for  the  ungodly  Bulls  and  Bears  of  England. 

It  was  without  doubt  most  unfortunate  for  those  who 
sailed  in  the  luckless  Armada,  that  its  first  commander-in- 
chief,  the  celebrated  Don  Alvaro  de  Bazan,  one  of  the  most 
famous  seamen  of  his  day,  should  have  died  just  before  it  was 

*  History  of  Spanish  Literature,  vol.  ii.,  p.  141.     Ticknor — Southey. 


THE  GALLEY  PERIOD,  227 

ready  to  sail  fron  Lisbon,  for  he  certainly  could  have  taken 
better  care  of  it  in  storm  and  in  battle  than  the  inexperienced 
Duke  of  Medina  Sidonia,  who  had  nothing  but  his  rank  and 
riches  to  recommend  him  ;  and  if,  as  is  reported,  a  fisherman 
informed  the  Duke  as  he  approached  Plymouth,  that  more 
than  one  half  of  Howard's  fleet  was  then  lying  wind-bound 
in  that  harbor,  he  certainly  lost  a  chance  of  destroying  that 
part  of  it,  through  a  too  strict  adherence  to  Philip's  orders, 
which  it  is  not  probable  the  great  Marquis  of  Santa  Cruz 
would  have  thrown  away.  It  was,  then,  most  unfortunate, 
I  repeat,  that  the  Armada  should  have  exchanged  "  for  an 
iron  admiral "  a  "  general  of  gold ;  "  but  the  man  whom 
impartial  history  will  ever  hold  responsible  for  the  greatest 
naval  fiasco  of  modern  times,  is  Philip  the  Second,  the  bigot, 
who,  rejecting  the  sage  advice  of  the  Duke  of  Parma  and  the 
Marquis  of  Santa  Cruz,  "  to  get  possession  of  some  secure 
port  in  North  Flanders  before  attempting  to  cross  to  Eng- 
land," took  it  upon  himself  to  arrange  the  minutest  details  of 
the  expedition,  trusting,  perhaps,  to  his  patron  saint  to  guide 
him  concerning  naval  and  military  matters,  of  which  he  seems 
to  have  known  as  little  as  a  child ;  and,  worst  of  all,  he,  the 
author  of  the  national  humiliation,  either  was,  or  affected  to 
be,  entirely  indifferent  to  it,  dismissing  it  from  his  mind  with 
the  puerile  remark,  "I  sent  my  ships  to  strive  with  men,  not 
with  the  elements." 

And  well  might  "  all  England  rejoice  "  when  the  full  news 
of  the  series  of  disasters  which  had  befallen  the  Armada  at 
last  reached  her  shores  ;  for  through  the  obstinacy  of  Philip, 
England  had  escaped  a  great  danger ;  and  wisely  she  profited 
by  the  lesson  it  had  taught  her,  "  to  set  to  work  vigorously  to 
build  up  a  potent  navy,"  since  her  safety  from  aggression  must 
ever  mainly  depend  upon  the  Superiority  of  her  fleet  over 
that  of  any  other  power.  But  should  the  day  ever  come,  as 
seems  not  unlikely,  when,  through  a  coalition  of  unfriend- 
ly states,  another  armada  more  powerful  than  her  own  shall 
be  assembled  in  British  waters,  while  a  great  army,  such  as 


228  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

but  lately  reduced  France,  in  a  few  weeks,  almost  to  the  con- 
dition of  a  German  province,  shall  be  ready,  under  its  protec- 
tion, to  embark  for  anxious  England,  let  us  hope  that  we,  the 
people  of  the  United  States,  will  not  remain  neutral  in  the 
strife  ;  but  that,  casting  aside  all  petty  jealousies,  and  re- 
membering only  the  priceless  boon  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty  which  has  come  to  us  from  the  "  mother  country  " — 
our  common  language  and  our  common  freedom, — we  may 
hasten  to  her  in  her  hour  of  need,  and  that  "  the  gorgeous 
ensign  of  the  republic,  with  not  a  stripe  erased,  nor  a  single 
star  obscured,  will  then  be  found  not  as  a  British  writer  has 
chosen  to  picture  it,  in  such  an  emergency,  arrayed  against 
the  banner  of  Saint  George,  but,  in  friendly  greeting,  waving 
side  by  side  with  it — its  stars  for  England,  its  stripes  for 
England's  foes ! 

Through  steam  and  the  weather  reports,  the  transportation  of  a  large 
army  across  the  British  channel  would  now  be  a  certain  matter  of  a  few 
hours. 


APPENDIX 


'■  nii  robur  et  aes  triplex 

Circa  pectus  erat,  qui  fragilem  truci 

Commisit  pelago  ratem 

Primus,  etc.,  etc. 

llor.  Ode  iii. 
2  A  la  sixifeme  anne'e  (sin  mao)  avant  J.  C,  des  personnes  de  Touet- 
chang,  un  royaume  maritime  du  sud,  vinrent  apporter  des  faisans  blancs. 
Tcheon  Koung  leur  fit  present  de  chars  qui  montraient  le  sud.  On  sera 
peut-etre  surpris  de  voir  que  le  Char  Magnetique  des  Chinois  et  leur  bous- 
sole  marine  montrent  le  sud  tandisque  lapropriete  de  1' Aiguille  aimantee 
est  de  se  tourner  vers  le  Nord  avec  plus  ou  moins  de  declinaison  ;  mais  on 
cessera  de  I'etre  si  Ton  reflechit  que  les  premieres  applications  qui  furent 
faites  par  les  Chinois  de  cette  attraction  incomprehensible,  etaient  pour 
indiquer  le  sud  ;  on  trouvera  tout  simple  que,  tout  en  reconnaissant  que 
I'Aiguille  aimantee  etait  attiree  vers  le  p61e  Nord,  ils  aient  affecte  au 
pole  oppose,  qui  n'est  que  la  continuation  de  I'axe,  une  figure  saillante 
pour  indiquer  le  pole  sud,  et  le  nom  dHndiquant  le  sud  (tcJii  naii) ,  sera 
reste  k  toutes  les  applications  du  principe  une  fois  reconnu,  avec  le 
signe  indicatif  affecte  k  I'extremite  sud  de  I'aiguille. — Pauthier. 
^This  shield,  according  to  Wilkinson,  also  served  as  a,n  umbrella. 
4  Jal  is  of  the  opinion  that  instead  of  reefing,  the  Egyptians  substi- 
tuted a  small  sail  for  a  large  one,  in  heavy  weather.  ftiikirifl  lJlk«««v 

^  An  amusing  instance  of  the  folly  of  men,  however  learned,  attempting 
to  describe  naval  manoeuvres,  without  ever  having  trod  the  deck  of  a 
vessel  at  sea,  is  given  us  in  Dr.  Smith's  translation  of  the  Peloponnesian 
war,  where  after  stating  that  the  Corinthians  "  slackened  their  course  " 
etc.,  etc.,  he  adds,  in  a  note:  "The  original  is  itpvfivav  sKpovovro,  they 
knocked  the  hind  deck,  a  phrase  elegantly  applied  by  Thucydides,  to  those 
that  retreat  fighting,  and  still  facing  their  enemies.  It  was  done  by  run- 
ning their  ships  backwards  upon  their  hind  decks,  in  order  to  tack  about." 
In  support  of  this  nonsense,  he  refers  to  the  archaeology  of  Archbishop 
Potter,  who  it  is  safe  to  say,  knew  no  more  of  the  matter  than  he  did. 


230  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Another  translator,  according  to  Charnock,  misinterpreting  the  meaning 
of  the  words  quatuor  foros  (four  decks),  has  gravely  informed  us  that 
Ptolemy's  great  ship  had  four  Markets  ! 

6  Translation  of  J.  Talboys  Wheeler,  in  his  interesting  work  entitled 
The  Geography  of  Herodotus. 

'  Les  anciens  avaient  des  navires  dedies  aux  dieux,  et  que  les  Grecs 
nommaient  Theogides. — En  Egypte,  c'etait  le  vaisseau  consacre  k  Isis. 
Des  figures  emblematiques  ornaient  les  cotes  de  ce  batiment  qu'avaient 
construit  les  plus  habiles  ouvriers  ;  sur  la  voile  etaient  ecrits  en  gros  ca- 
racteres  les  voeux  qu'on  renouvelait  chaque  annee  pour  les  navigateurs. 
Lorsqu'on  I'avait  purifie  avec  une  torche  ardente,  des  ceufs  et  da  soufre,  les 
pretres  et  le  peuple,  dit  Apulee,  allaient  y  deposer  des  corbeilles  remplies 
de  fleurs,  et  tout  ce  qui  servait  aux  sacrifices.  Puis  on  levait  I'ancre,  et 
Ton  abandonnait  lenavire,  qu'on  laissait  voguer  au  gre  du  vent  et  des  flots, 
pour  alier  dans  le  temple  d'Isis  conjurer  la  deesse  d'etre  propice  aux  ma- 
rins.  Les  Egyptiens  consideraient  aussi  comme  sacre  le  navire  sur  lequel 
on  nourrissait,  pendant  quarante  jours,  le  boeuf  Apis,  avant  de  le  con- 
duire  k  Memphis  dans  le  temple  de  Vulcain. — En  Grece,  les  navires 
sacres  les  plus  renomraes  f urent  :  I'Argo,  qui  fut  meme  deifie  et 
place  au  nombre  des  constellations ;  la  Salaminienne,  galere  de  trente 
rames  que  montait  Thesee  lorsqu'il  se  rendit  en  Crete,  et  qui  prit 
ensuite  le  nom  de  Deliarque,  parce  qu'elle  allait  porter  tous  les  ans 
k  Delos  les  offrandes  des  Atheniens  ;  le  Parale,  dont  I'origine  est 
inconnue  ;  1' Antigone,  le  Demetrius  et  le  navire  de  Minerve.  Ce  dernier 
ne  prenait  jamais  la  mer ;  on  le  conservait  religieusement  pres  du  lieu 
ou  I'Areopage  tenait  ses  seances ;  il  ne  paraissait  qu'k  la  fete  des 
grandes  Panathen^es,  qui  se  celebrait  tous  les  cinq  ans,  et  servait  a 
porter  en  grande  pompe  au  temple  de  Minerve  le  peplum  de  la  deesse 
(Suidas).  Mais  ce  qu'on  admirait  le  plus,  selon  Pausanias,  c'est  que  ce 
navire  etait  mis  en  mouvement  par  certains  ressorts  caches  dans  ses 
flancs.  Les  Romains  avaient  la  plus  grande  veneration  pour  les  navires 
qui  avaient  transports  dans  leur  ville  la  Bonne  Deesse  et  le  dieu  Esculape. 
On  celebrait  aussi  k  Rome  la  fete  du  vaisseau  d'Isis  ;  ""Certus  dies  habetus 
in  fastis,  quo  Isidis  navigium  celebratur"  (Lactance).  Ciceron  parle  d'une 
autre  fete  du  meme  genre,  qu'il  nomme  la  premiere  navigation ;  Vegece 
en  fait  mention,  sous  le  nom  de  la  naissance  de  la  navigation.  Histoire 
de  la  marine,  par  A.  Du  Sein. 

8 Mnesephilus,  a  man  of  "strong  common  sense,"  was  a  professor  of 
wisdom  at  Athens  before  the  Persian  war,  and  Plutarch  says  Themistocles 
attended  his  lectures  and  entertained  a  great  regard  for  him. 

*  I  use  the  beautiful,  spirited  translation  of  Plumptre. 

'^^  It  is  difficult  to  arrive  at  any  definite  conclusion  as  to  what  the 
intentions  of  Themistocles  really  were.     It  is  not  impossible,  indeed,  that 


APPENDIX.  231 

he  may  himself  have  thought  the  Grecian  cause  lost,  and  have  wished  to 
ingratiate  himself  with  Xerxes,  by  actually  delivering  the  Greeks  into 
his  hands.  His  ruling  passion,  it  must  be  remembered,  was  avarice, 
which,  when  it  gets  entire  possession  of  a  man,  becomes  a  vice  that  will 
lead  him  to  sacrifice  any  and  everything  to  its  gratification.  His  sophistry 
did  not  clear  him  in  the  opinion  of  his  contemporaries  from  all  complicity 
with  Pausanias  in  his  treasonable  designs;  and,  certainly  the  man  who, 
after  Salamis,  could  propose  to  the  Athenians  the  aggrandizement  of 
their  state  by  burning  the  Confederate  fleet  at  Pagasse,  had  a  despicably 
mean  hearty  however  great  his  brain.  Herodotus  accuses  him  of  duplicity 
in  his  speech  to  the  Athenians,  after  the  battle  of  Salamis,  dissuading 
them  from  sailing  at  once  to  the  Hellespont  to  intercept  Xerxes  in  his 
retreat.  *'  He  spoke  thus,"  says  the  historian,  "to  secure  favor  with  the 
Persians,  that,  if  any  misfortune  should  overtake  him  from  the  Athenians, 
he  might  have  a  place  of  refuge,"  etc.,  etc. 

"  Nothing  is  more  to  be  regretted  than  the  loss  of  the  Persian  account 
of  the  battle  of  Salamis,  which,  creditable  as  it  was  to  the  Greeks,  was 
not,  we  may  reasonably  suppose,  quite  as  one-sided  an  affair  as  they 
would  have  us  believe. 

^2  That  the  Romans  had  turned  their  attention  to  naval  affairs  before 
this  is  well  known,  however;  for  during  their  second  war  with  the  Sam- 
nites,  300  B.C.,  two  commissioners  for  naval  affairs  were  appointed,  and 
twenty-two  years  afterward,  a  Roman  squadron  presuming  to  enter  the 
Gulf  of  Tarentum,  was  attacked  by  the  Tarentines  and  defeated,  with  a 
loss  of  four  ships  taken  and  one  sunk.  Polybius,  in  his  anxiety  to  im- 
press his  readers  wdth  the  greatness  of  the  Roman  people  in  overcoming 
obstacles,  has  certainly  given  an  exaggerated  picture  of  their  maritime 
weakness  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  first  Punic  war.  • 

13  "  To  the  Romans,"  says  Gibbon,  "  the  ocean  remained  an  object  of 
horror  rather  than  of  curiosity,  and  they  tried  to  disguise,  by  the  pretence 
of  religious  awe,  their  ignorance  and  terror."  See  Tacitus,  Gerraania 
34. 

^^  The  Triarii,  according  to  Livy,  formed,  as  their  name  would  imply, 
the  third  rank  of  an  army ;  but  Polybius  states  that  they  were  embarked 
on  this  occasion  with  the  fourth  naval  division,  and  remarks:  Triarii  is 
the  name  which  is  appropriated  to  the  last  division  of  the  armies  upon  land. 

1^  Csesar,  when  he  left  his  tent  before  day,  to  review  his  fleet,  met  a 
man  who  was  driving  an  ass.  Upon  asking  his  name,  the  man  answered : 
"  My  name  is  Eutychus  (Good  Fortune),  and  the  name  of  my  ass  is  Nicon  " 
(Victory).  The  place  where  he  met  him  was  afterward  adorned  with 
trophies  of  the  beaks  of  ships,  and  there  Augustus  placed  the  statue  of 
the  ass  and  his  driver  in  brass. — Plutarch. 

16  According  to  Pliny,  Terentius  Varro,  who  served  under  Pompey 


232  THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

against  the  pirates,  was  the  first  Roman  who  received  a  rostral  crown. 
It  was  of  gold,  and  ornamented  with  figures  resembling  the  beaks  of 
ships. 

NOTES  TO  THE  BATTLE  OF  LEPANTO. 

1  "In  his  maris  angustiis,  postquam  binoe  classes  ex  improviso  sese 
conspexissent,  pugnam  devitare  nequaquam  potuerunt.  Quamobrem 
Joannes  Austriacus,  Imperator,  cum  prius  consultandum  quam  in  certamen 
descenderent  quidam  ex  suis  afferet,  prudentissimae  respondit :  Jam  ne 
que  tempus,  neque  locum  nobis  consiliis  superesse,"  etc. — Contareni.  (Latin 
version  of  Joan  Nicolao  Stupano,  published  in  1573.) 

2  Neither  La  Fuente  nor  Prescott  make  the  slightest  mention  of  this 
important  division,  while  Rosell  (Combate  Naval  de  Lepanto,  p.  101) 
says  it  hardly  deserved  the  name  of  a  reserve,  and  yet  Stupano's  transla- 
tion, under  the  heading  Suhsidioram  Agmen,  gives  the  name  of  each  of 
the  captains  of  its  thirty  vessels. 

8  La  Fuente,  vol.  vii.,  p.  278. 
.    4  Preble. 

^Bouet.  Willaumez,  Batailles  de  terre  et  de  mer. 

6  "  Christus  enim  e  coelis  descensurum  quod  pro  ipsius  nomine  pugna- 
rent." — Contareni. 

Among  the  many  miraculous  occurrences  of  the  battle  of  Lepanto, 
that  of  the  crucifix,  as  gravely  narrated  by  Rosell,  on  the  authority  of  pious 
tradition^  is  the  most  remarkable.  In  the  heat  of  the  action,  a  ball  was 
flying  right  at  the  image  of  Christ,  when  the  image  avoided  it,  by  inclin- 
ing to  one  side,  as  if  in  the  act  of  leaving  the  cross  {come  en  nctitud  de 
apartarse  de  la  cruz),  and  in  this  position  it  is  still  to  be  seen,  behind  the 
great  altar  of  the  cathedral  of  Barcelona. 

7  Prescott,  following  Herrera,  says  :  "  Barbarigo,  who  was  still  linger- 
ing in  agony,  heard  the  tidings  of  the  enemy's  defeat,  and  uttering  a  few 
words  expressive  of  his  gratitude  to  Heaven,  which  had  permitted  him 
to  see  this  hour,  he  breathed  his  last." 

This  is  surely  an  error;  for  Contareni,  being  a  Venetian  senator, 
must  have  had  access  to  all  the  official  reports,  and  have  enjoyed,  beside, 
a  personal  acquaintance  with  the  Barbarigo  family,  and  he  says  expressly 
that  when  Barbarigo  was  wounded  he  at  once  lost  the  use  of  speech. 
"  Augustinus  Barbadicus  autem  sagitta  oculo  infixa,  loetale  vulnus  accepit 
quo  loquendi  usum  statim  amisit." 

8  Contareni. 

^  Prescott  evidently  attaches  but  little  importance  to  the  possession  by 
the  Christians  of  these  mammoth  war  vessels;  for,  after  speaking  of  their 
first  fire  upon  the  passing  fleet,  he  says  :  "  they  were,  however,  but  un- 


APPENDIX.  233 

wieldy  craft,  and  having  accomplished  their  object  seem  to  have  taken  no 
further  part  in  the  combat. "  Without  a  Turkish  reserve  to  look  after 
these  troublesome  ships,  this  was  probably  the  best  way  to  get  rid 
of  them;  but  that  not  all  of  them  were  "towed  into  action,"  as 
he  supposes,  is  shown  by  Rosell,  p.  97,  and  that  they  were  not  "  unwieldy  " 
is  clearly  proved  by  Contareni,  page  134  of  the  translation,  where,  after 
a  graphic  description  of  the  terrific  effect  of  their  fire  upon  the  Turks,  we 
read:  "Eoque  res  maxime  admiratione  digna  fuit  quod  sola  sex  magna 
illse  triremes,  quarum  usus  in  hujusmodi  navalibus  prseliis  compertus 
mini  me  fuerat,  sese  in  orhem  vertentes,  et  tela  modo  ex  prora  mod6  ex 
puppi  et  lateribus  vibrantes,  tautam  hostium  stratagem  edere  potuerint." 
Summing  up  the  causes  which  led  to  the  utter  defeat  of  the  Turks  at 
Lepanto,  Rosell  concludes  with  :  "For  ultimo,  los  Turcos  ninguna  especie 
de  embarcacion  podian  oponer  a  la  f  uria  destructora  de  las  galeazas  de 
Venecia,'^  etc. 

From  Pantero-Pantera  we  learn  that  the  galeasses  had  a  large  oar  or 
sweep  on  each  quarter  to  assist  their  rudders  in  turning.  Hanno  il  timone 
alia  navaresca,  cio^  ad  uso  de  tiave,  e  aijianclii  del  timone  portano  due  gran 
remi  che  aiutano  afargirare  il  vascello piu presto. — Armata  navale. 

Burchett,  in  his  "  Complete  History  of  the  most  Remarkable  Transac- 
tions at  Sea,"  remarks,  "  At  the  first  discharge  of  the  galeasses  several 
of  the  Turkish  galleys  quitted  the  line;  nevertheless  they  kept  on  their 
way,  but  in  passing  between  them,  were  cruelly  battered  from  their 
broadsides,  etc.  Some  ships  were  shot  through  and  through,  others  had 
their  rudders  struck  off,  several  were  seen  in  flames,  and  some  deserted 
by  their  companies,  who,  in  despair  leaped  into  the  sea,  which  was  covered 
with  floating  oars,  masts,  yards,  casks,  and  men.  Such  great  execution 
did  these  galeasses  do  among  the  enemy,  which  was  a  contrivance  as 
successful  as  it  was  new." 

And  as  a  further  proof  of  the  great  service  rendered  by  the  galeasses 
at  Lepanto,  we  may  quote  La  Fuente,  the  greatest  of  Spanish  historians 
(vol.  vii.,  p.  416),  who,  although  hemakes.but  slight  mention  of  them  in 
his  account  of  that  battle,  afterward  in  speaking  of  the  fitting  out  of  the 
Invincible  Armada,  says:  En  los  puertos  de  Amberes,  de  Nieuport  etc.,  se 
habian  construido  y  aperejado  navios  de  yarias  formas  y  tamanos,  galeones  y 
galeazas,  al  modo  de  aquellas  que  en  Lepanto  contribuyeron  tau  poderosamente 
a  la  victoria  de  la  Santa  Liga. 

Charnock  (vol.  ii.,  p.  23)  says  there  were  four  galeasses  in  the  Armada — 
a  pretty  good  proof  that  the  Spaniards  thought  well  of  them — and  Paul 
Hoste  chronicles  the  performance  of  one  of  them  thus  :  "  Moncade  fut 
jete  avec  sa  Galere  sur  les  c6tes  de  Calais,  ou  ayant  ete  attaque  par 
un  grand  nombre  de  fregates  Anglaises,  il  se  defendit  comme  un 
lion,  etc." 


234       THE  FLEETS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

For  a  full  account  of  the  construction,  armament,  etc.,  of  these  ves- 
sels, which  were  marvels  in  their  day,  see  Jal  Archeologie  Navale,  vol.  i., 
pp.  385-396. 

10  Uluch  Ali  ayant  laisse  Doria  au  large,  s'etait  jete  sur  notre  corps 
de  bataille  et  y  avait  fait  en  peu  de  temps  un  grand  ravage  ;  mais,  crai- 
gnant  que  Doria  ne  le  prit  par  derriere,  il  se  retira  de  la  melee  avec  trente 
galeres,  qui  seules  ^chapperent  d'une  defaite  si  generale.  (Paul  Hoste, 
p.  23.) 

11  Portandolo  a'  don  Giovanni,  con  pensiero  di  portar  alcuna  cosa, 
gratissima  dalchele  con  dispiacere  glifiarisposto — "  Che  voni  ch'  io  faccia 
di  cotesto  capo  ?  horgettalo  in  mare  ! "  con  tutto  cio  per  ispatio  d'  un 
hora  stalle  fisso  in  una  punta  di  picca  alia  poppa. 

Caraccioli-Comentarii  delle  guerre  fatte  con  Turchi. 

12  Paul  Hoste. 
18  La  Fuente. 
"lb. 

1^  "  The  present  which  you  sent  me,"  says  Don  Juan,  in  his  reply  to 
Fatima,  which  is  worthy  of  being  printed  in  letters  of  gold,  "  I  return 
with  your  brother.  Not  because  I  do  not  prize  it  as  coming  from  your 
hands,  but  because  it  does  not  comport  with  the  greatness  of  my  an- 
cestry {la  grandeza  de  mis  antecesores)  to  receive  gifts  of  one  who  asks  a 
favor  at  my  hands."     See  Rosell  and  La  Fuente. 

16  Asi  supo  ilustrar  el  hijo  de  Carlos  V.  un  nombre  que,  sin  la  batalla 
de  Lepanto,  solo  viviria  en  la  historia  para  prueba  de  la  debilidad  de 
aquel  monarca.  Su  triunfo  no  fue  obra  del  acaso  ;  lo  solicitd  con  vivo 
anhelo,  lo  intentd  contra  la  opinion  de  capitanes  experimentados,  lo  prev- 
ind  con  acertadas  disposiciones  lo  obtuvd  en  fin  combatiendo  como  can- 
dillo  prudente  y  valereso.     llosell,  p.  125. 

In  the  Church  of  Our  Lady  of  Pilau,  at  Barcelona,  is  the  staff  of  com- 
mand (baston  de  mando)  which  Don  Juan  carried  in  his  hand  on  the 
memorable  7th  of  October.  On  it  in  letters  of  silver  are  these  inscrip- 
tions: Act  Godt  ongestvort  geeft  den  prince  dat  hemlo  ebenvort  (keep  God  on 
your  side  and  you  will  do  great  deeds.)  Versmaet  suget  irement  soe  Wesdy 
vanden  heerenyet  de  kent.  (Fear  the  power  of  God  and  you  will  avoid  his 
judgments.) 

NOTES   TO   SCANDINAVIA. 

In  refeiTing  to  Snorro  Sturleson's  work,  I  have  used  almost  exclu- 
sively the  fine  translation  of  Laing. 

1  The  "long-ships"  of  the  Baltic  were  evidently  only  intended  for 
rowing  along  shore*  That  they  were  not  intended  for  sea  voyages  is 
shown  by  Snorro,  who,  in  describing  the  Long  Serpent,  says,  "  she  had 


APPENDIX.  235 

sides  as  high  as  a  sea-going  ship's.  Snorro  says,  too,  that  when  Olaf  the 
saint  found  it  necessary  to  return  to  Norway  from  England,  in  the  fall  of 
the  year,  he  "made  ready  two  ships  of  burden  and  left  his  long  ships  behind. 

2  Knikarr — Conqueror  or  hard-hitter. 

2  Buss — A  vessel  built  for  the  herring  or  salt  trade  exclusively. 

*  Shield  of  expectation.  When  a  young  warrior  was  first  enlisted 
they  gave  him  a  white  and  smooth  buckler  which  was  called  "  the  shield 
of  expectation."  this  he  carried  till  by  some  signal  exploit  he  had  obtained 
leave  to  have  proofs  of  his  valor  engraven  on  it  etc. 

Northern  Antiquities,  translated  from  the  French  of  M.  Mallet,  by 
Bishop  Percy. 

^  The  Vajringers  (defenders)  were  the  body-guard  of  the  Greek  emper- 
ors, and  were  composed  mostly  of  Norsemen  "  With  their  broad  and  double 
battle-axes  on  their  shoulders,"  says  Gibbon,  "  they  attended  the  emperor 
to  the  temple,  the  senate,  and  the  hippodrome ;  and  the  keys  of  the  palace, 
the  treasury,  and  the  capitol,  were  held  by  their  firm  and  faithful 
hands." 

^  At  the  last  day  the  sea  rushes  over  the  earth  and  in  this  flood  floats 
the  ship  Naglfar,  constructed  of  the  nails  of  dead  men.  For  which  reason 
great  care  should  be  taken  to  die  with  pared  nails  ;  for  he  who  dies  with 
his  nails  unpared  supplies  materials  for  the  building  of  this  vessel,  which 
both  gods  and  men  wish  may  be  finished  as  late  as  possible. 

Prose  Edda. 

■*  The  Danes  had  a  famous  enchanted  standard,  in  the  9th  century 
also,  according  to  Hume,  in  which  they  placed  great  confidence.  "It 
contained  the  figure  of  a  raven,  which  had  been  inwoven  by  the  three 
sisters  of  Hingvard  and  Hubba,  with  many  magical  incantations," 
etc.  It  was  called  Eeofen,  and  captured  at  the  battle  of  Kinwith  Castle, 
by  Alfi-ed  the  Great,  the  Danes  flying  in  the  utmost  consternation  when 
they  beheld  their  banner  in  the  possession  of  the  English. 

8  Y  si  f uera  asi,  como  lo  dice  Gomara,  harto  malos  cristianos  fuera- 
mos,  enviandonos  nuestro  Sefior  Dios  sus  Santos  Apo'stoles,  no  reconocer 
la  gran  merced  que  uos  hacia  y  reverenciar  cada  dia  aquella  iglesia;  y 
pluguiera  a  Dios  que  asi  fuera  como  elee  coronista  dice,  y  hasta  que  lei 
su  Cordnica,  nunca  entre  conquistadores  que  alii  se  hallaron  tal  se  oyd. 
Verdadera  Historia,  etc. 

^  Tlie  Gjallar-horn  was  the  last  trumpet  of  the  Scandinavians. 


NAVAL  BOOKS 

PUBLISHED  BY 

D.    Yan   Nostrand, 

23  Murray  Street  &  27  Warren  Street, 
NEW  YORK. 


Luce's  Seamansliip. 

Fourth  Edition. 

Illustrated  by  89  full-page  copperplate  engravings.    8vo.    Half  E-oan.    $7.50. 

SEAMANSHIP.  Compiled  from  various  authorities,  and  Illus- 
trated with  numerous  Original  and  Selected  Designs.  For  the 
use  of  the  United  States  Naval  Academy.  By  S.  B.  Luce,  Lieu- 
tenant-Commander U.  S.  N.  In  two  parts.  Eourth  edition, 
revised  and  improved.  1  vol.,  crown  octavo. 

Text-Book  at  the  U.  S.  Naval  Academy,  Annapolis. 


Barnes'  Submarine  Warfare. 

With  20  Lithographic  Plates  and  many  Wood-cuts.   Svo.   Cloth.    $5.00. 

SUBMAEINE  WAEFAEE,  DEFENSIVE  AND  OFFENSIVE. 

Comj^rising  a  full  and  complete  History  of  the  invention  of  the 
Torpedo,  its  employment  in  War,  and  results  of  its  use.  De- 
scriptions of  the  various  forms  of  Torpedoes,  Submarine  Batteries 
and.  Torpedo  Boats  actually  used  in  War.  Methods  of  Ignition 
by  Machinery,  Contact  Fuses,  and  Electricity,  and  a  full  account 
of  experiments  made  to  determine  the  Explosive  Force  of  Gun- 
powder under  water.  Also  a  discussion  of  the  offensive  Torpedo 
system,  its  effect  upon  Iron-Clad  Ship  systems,  and  influence 
upon  Future  Naval  Wars.  By  Lieut. -Commander  John  S. 
Baenes,  U.  S.  N. 

33 


NAVAL  BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY 


Jeffers'  Nautical  Surveying. 

Illustrated  with  9  Copperplates  and  3 1  Wood-cut  Illustrations.     8vo. 
Cloth.      $5.00. 

NAUTICAL  SUEVEYING.      By  William  N.   Jeffers,   Captain 

U.  S.  Navy. 

Many  books  have  been  written  on  each  of  the  subjects  treated  of  in  the 
sixteen  chapters  of  this  work ;  and,  to  obtain  a  complete  knowledge  of 
geodetic  surveying-  requires  a  profound  study  of  the  whole  range  of  mathe- 
matical and  physical  sciences ;  but  a  year  of  preparation  should  render  any 
intelligent  officer  competent  to  conduct  a  nautical  survey. 

Contents. — Chapter  I.  Formulae  and  Constants  Useful  in  Survej^ng 
II.  Distinctive  Character  of  Surveys.  III.  Hydrographic  Surveying  under 
Sail ;  or.  Running  Survey.  IV.  Hydrographic  Surveying  of  Boats ;  or,  Har- 
bor Survey.  V.  Tides — Definition  of  Tidal  Phenomena — Tidal  Observations. 
VI.  Measurement  of  Bases — Appropriate  and  Direct.  VII.  Measurement  of 
the  Angles  of  Triangles — Azimuths — Astronomical  Bearings.  VIII.  Correc  - 
tions  to  be  Applied  to  the  Observed  Angles.  IX.  Levelliag — Dilference  of 
Level.  X.  Computation  of  the  Sides  of  the  Triangulation — The  Three-point 
Problem.  XI.  Determination  of  the  Geodetic  Latitudes,  Longitudes,  and 
Azimuths,  of  Points  of  a  Triangulation.  XII.  Summary  of  Subjects  treated 
of  in  preceding  Chai)ters — Examples  of  Computation  by  various  Formulae. 
XIII.  Projection  of  Charts  and  Plans.  XIV.  Astronomical  Determination  of 
Latitude  and  Longitude.  XV.  Magnetic  Observations.  XVI.  Deep  Sea 
Soundings.  XVII.  Tables  for  Ascertaining  Distances  a,t  Sea,  and  a  full 
Index. 

List  of  Plates. 

Plate  I.  Diagram  Illustrative  of  the  Triangulation.  II.  Specimen  Page 
of  Field  Book.  III.  Running  Survey  of  t.  Coast.  IV.  Example  of  a  Running 
Survey  from  Belcher.  V.  Flying  Survey  of  an  Island.  VI.  Survey  of  a 
Shoal.  VII.  Boat  Survey  of  a  River.  VIII.  Three-Point  Problem.  IX. 
Triangulation. 

Coffin's  Navigation. 

Fifth  Edition. 

12mo.     Cloth.     $3.50. 

NAVIGATION  AND  NAUTICAL  ASTEONOMY.  Prepa.red 
for  the  use  of  the  U.  S.  Naval  Academy.  By  J.  H.  C.  Coffin, 
Prof,  of  Astronomy,  Navigation  and  Surveying,  with  52  wood- 
cut illustrations. «  34 


D.  TAN  NOSTIIANB. 


Clark's  Navigation. 

Illustrated.     8vo.     Cloth.     $3.00. 

TIIEOEETICAL  NAVIGATIOIN"  AND  NAUTICAL  ASTEON- 
OMY.     By  Lewis  Clauk,  Liout. -Commander,  U.  S.  Navy. 


Simpson's  Ordnance  and  Naval 
Gunnery. 

Fifth  l^difioii,  lievlscd  and  Enlarf/ed. 

TUustratod  with  185  Engravings.     Svo.    Cloth.     *^5.00. 

A  TREATISE  ON  ORDNANCE  AND  NAYAL  GUNNERY. 

Oompilod  ami  arr[mg;i>J   as  a  Text-Book  for  the    U.  S.  Naval 
Academy,  by  Commander  Edwaiid  iSiitpsoxN-,  U.  S.  N. 


Young  Seaman's  Manual. 

8vo.     Half  Roan.    $3.00. 

THE  YOUNG  SEAMAN'S  MANUAL.  Compiled  from  va- 
rious authorities,  and  illustrated  "witli  immerous  original  and 
select  Designs.  For  iho  u?o  of  the  U.  S.  Training  Ships  and 
the  Marine  Sclioois. 


Harwood's  Naval  Courts-Martial. 

Hvo.   La-w-shccp.    $4.00. 

LAW  AND  PRACTICE  OF  UNITED  STATES  NAYAL 
COURTS-MARTIAL.  By  A.  A.  ILvhwood,  U.  S.  N.  Adopted 
as  a  Text-r»0(;k  at  the  U.  S.  Naval  Academy. 


Parker's  Squadron  Tactics. 

Illustrated  by  77  Plates.     8vo.     Cloth,     $5.00. 

SQUADRON  TACTICS  UNDER  STEAM.  By  Foxhall  A. 
PahkeFv,  Captain  U.  S.  Navy.  Published  by  authority  of  the 
Navy  Department. 

35 


NAVAL  BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY 


Parker's  Fleet  Tactics. 

18mo.     Cloth.     $2.50. 

FLEET  TACTICS  UNDER  STEAM.     By  Eoxhall   A.   Parker, 
Cjptain  U.  S.  Navy.     Illustrated  by  140  wood-cuts. 


Parker's  Naval  Howitzer  Ashore. 

3G  Plates.     8vo.   Cloth.   $4.00. 

THE  NAYAL  HOWITZER  ASHORE.  By  Foxhall  A.  Parkee, 
Captaui  U.  S.  Navy.  With  plates.  Approved  by  the  Navy 
Department. 


Parker's  Naval  Howitzer  Afloat. 

32  Plates.     8vo.     Cloth.     $4.00. 

THE  NAVAL  HOWITZER  AFLOAT.  By  Foxhall  A.  Paeker, 
Captaiu  U.  S.  Navy.  With  plates.  Approved  by  the  Navy  De- 
partment. 


Brandt's  G-unnery  Catechism. 

Hevised  Edition.    Illustrated. 

18rao.     Cloth.     $1.50. 

GUNNERY  CATECHISM.  As  applied  to  the  service  of  Naval 
Ordnance.  Adapted  to  the  latest  Oificial  Regulations,  and  ap- 
proved by  the  Bureau  of  Ordnance,  Navy  Department.  By  J. 
D.  Brandt,  formerly  of  the  U.  S.  Navy. 

"Bureau  of  Ohdnance,  Navy  DeparTxMent,  > 
Washington  City,  July  30,  18(54.         S 
'  Mil.  J.  D.  Brandt,— 

"  Sir, — Your  '  Catechism  of  G-unnery,  as  applied  to  the  service  of  Naval 
Ordnance,'  having  boen  submitted  to  the  examination  of  ordnance  officers,  and 
favorably  recommended  by  them,  is  approved  by  this  Bureau. 

I  am.  Sir,  Your  obedient  servant, 

"  H.  A.  Wise,  Chief  of  Bureau:' 
36 


D.  VAJS'  JSrOSTRAJSTD. 


Osbon's  Hand-Book  of  the  ITnited 
States  Navy. 

12mo.     Cloth.     $1.50. 
HAND-BOOK  OF   THE  UNITED  STATES   NAYY.     Being  a 
compilation  of  all  the  principal  events  in  the  history  of  every  vessel 
of  the  United  States  Navy  from  April,  1861,  to  May,  1864.  Com- 
piled and  arranged  by  B.  S.  Osbon. 


Totten's  Naval  Text-Book. 

Second  and  Revised  Edition, 

12ino.     Cloth.     $3.00. 

NAVAL  TEXT-BOOK.  Naval  Text-Book  and  Dictionary,  com- 
piled for  the  use  of  Midshipmen  of  the  U.  S.  Navy.  By  Com- 
mander B.  J.  ToTTEx,  U.  S.  N. 

"  This  -work  is  prepared  for  the  Midshipmen  of  the  United  States  Navy. 
It  is  a  complete  manual  of  instructions  as  to  the  duties  which  pertain  to  their 
office,  and  appears  to  ht.ve  been  prepared  with  great  care,  avoiding  errors  and 
inaccuracies  which  had  crept  into  a  former  edition  of  the  work,  and  embracing 
valuable  additional  matter.  It  is  a  book  which  should  be  in  the  hands  of  every 
midshipman,  and  every  officer  of  high  rank  in  the  navy  would  often  find  it  a 
useful  companion." — Boston  Jourmd. 


Roe's  Naval  Duties.. 

l2mo.     Cloth.     $1.50. 

NAYAL  DUTIES  AND  DISCIPLINE  :  With  the  Policy  and 
Principles  of  Naval  Organization.  By  P.  A.  Boe,  late  Com- 
mander U.  S.  Navy. 

"  The  author's  design  was  undoubtedly  to  furnish  young  officers  some 
general  instruction  drawn  from  long  experience,  to  aid  in  the  better  discharge 
of  their  official  duties,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  furnish  other  people  with  a 
book  which  is  not  technical,  and  yet  thoroughly  professional.  It  throws  light 
upon  the  Navy— its  organization,  its  achievements,  its  interior  life.  Every- 
thing is  stated  as  tersely  as  possible,  and  this  is  one  of  the  advantages  of  the 
book,  considering  that  the  experience  and  professional  knowledge  of  twenty- 
five  years'  service,  are  crowded  somewhere  into  its  pages."  -JLn?i?/  and  Navy 
Journal. 

39 


I).    VAN  NOSTRARD. 


Stuart's  Naval  Dry  Docks, 

Foiivth  Eflition. 

4to.     Cloth.     ^QM. 

THE  NAVAL  DRY  DOCKS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  By 
Gen.  C.  B.  Stuaiit.  Illustrated  witli  twenty-four  fine  engravings 
on  i^teel. 


Murphy  and  Jeffers'  Nautical  Routine. 

8vo.     Cloth.     !?2.50. 

NAUTICAL  EOUTINE  AND  STOWAGE.  With  Short  Eules 
ill  Navigation.  By  John  MgLeod  Muxinir  and  Wm.  N.  J^irrEKs, 
Jr.,  U.  S.  N. 


Barrett's  Dead  Reckoning. 

8vo.     Flexible  Cloth,     -^l.'io. 

DEAD  RECKONING  ;  Or,  Day's  Work.     By  Edw\ed  Barrett, 
U.  S.  Navy. 


Our  Naval  Scliool  and  Naval  Officers. 

13mo.     CJoth.    75  cents. 

A  GLANCE  AT  THE  CONDITION  OF  THE  FBENCH 
NAVY  PRK.)R  TO  THE  LATE  FRANCO-GEKMAN 
WAR.  Transhited  from  tlie  French  of  M.  De  Ceisenoy  by 
Commander  R.  W.  Meade,  U.  S.  N. 


Ward's  Naval  Tactics. 

8vo.     Cioth.     $8.00. 

MANUAL  OF  NAVAL  TACTICS  :  Together  with  a  Brief  Criti- 
cal Analysis  of  the  principal  Modern  Naval  Battles.  By  James 
H.  Ward,  Commander  U.  S.  N.  With  an  Appendix,  being  an 
extract  from  Sir  Howard  I)ono:las's'  "  NavalWarfare  with  Steam." 


SCIENTIFIC    BOOKS 

PUBLISHED  BY 

D.   VAN    NOSTRAND, 

23  Murray  Street  and  27  W^arren  Street, 
NEW    YORK. 


Any  Book  in  this  Catalogue,  sent  free  by  mail  on  receipt  of  price. 


Weisbach's  Medianics. 

Fonrtli  Edition,  Revised.    8vo.    Clotli.    $10.00. 

AManual  of  Theoretical  Mechanics.  By  Julius  Weisbach,  Ph.  D. 
Translated  from  the  fourth  augmented  and  improved  German  edition, 
with  an  introduction  to  the  Calculus,  by  Eckley  B.  Coxe,  A.  M., 
Mining  Engineer.     1100  pages  and  902  wood-cut  illustrations. 


Francis'  Lo^vell    Hydraulics. 

Third  Edition.  4to.  Cloth.  $15.00. 
Lowell  Hydraulic  Experiments — being  a  Selection  from  Experi- 
ments on  Hydraulic  Motors,  on  the  Flow  of  Water  over  Weirs,  and  in 
open  Canals  of  Uniform  Rectangular  Section,  made  at  Lowell,  Mass. 
By  J.  B.  Francis,  Civil  Engineer.  Third  edition,  revised  and  enlarged, 
including  many  New  Experiments  on  Gauging  Water  in  Open  Canals, 
and  on  the  Flow  through  Submerged  Orifices  and  Diverging  Tubes. 
With  23  copperplates,  beautifully  engraved,  and  about  100  new  pages 
of  text. 


Kirk^^ood  on  Filtration. 

4to.    Cloth.    $15.00. 

Report  on  the  Filtration  of  River  Waters,  for  the  Supply  of 
Cities,  as  practised  in  Europe,  made  to  the  Board  of  Water  Commis- 
sioners of  the  City  of  St.  Louis.  By  James  P.  Kirkwood.  Illustra- 
ted by  30  double-plate  engravings. 


SCIENTIFIC  BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY 


Rogers'  Geology  of  Peniisylvania. 

8  Vols.  4to,  with  Portfolio  of  Maps.    Cloth.    $30.00. 

The  Geology  of  Pennsylvania.  A  Government  Survey.  With  a  gen- 
eral view  of  the  Geology  of  the  United  States,  Essays  on  the  Coal  For- 
mation and  its  Fossils,  and  a  description  of  the  Coal  Fields  of  North 
America  and  Great  Britain.  By  Henry  Darwin  Rogers,  Late  State 
Geologist  of  Pennsylvania.  Splendidly  illustrated  with  Plates  and  En- 
gravings in  the  Text 

Merrill's  Iron  Truss  Bridges. 

Third  Edition.    4to.    Cloth.    $5.00. 

Iron  Truss  Bridges  for  Railroads.  The  Method  of  Calculating 
Strains  in  Trusses,  with  a  careful  comparison  of  the  most  prominent 
Trusses,  in  reference  to  economy  in  combination,  etc.,  etc.  By  Bvt. 
Col.  William  E.  Merrill,  U.S.A.,  Corps  of  Engineers.  Nine  litho- 
graphed plates  of  ilhistrations. 

Shreve  on  Bridges  and  Roofs. 

8vo,  87  wood-cut  illustrations.    Cloth.    $5.00. 

A  Treatise  on  the  Strength  of  Bindges  and  Roofs — comprising 
the  determination  of  Algebraic  formulas  for  Strains  in  Horizontal,  In- 
clined or  Rafter,  Triangular,  Bowstring,  Lenticular  and  other  Trusses, 
from  fixed  and  moving  loads,  with  practical  applications  and  examples, 
for  the  use  of  Students  and  Engineers.  By  Samuel  11.  Shreve,  A.  M., 
Civil  Engineer. 

The  Kansas  City  Bridge. 

4to.    Cloth.    ffi.OO 

With  an  Account  op  the  Regimen  of  the  Missouri  River, — and 
a  description  of  the  Methods  used  for  Founding  in  that  River.  By  O. 
Chanute,  Chief  Engineer,  and  George  IMorison,  Assistant  Engineer. 
Illustrated  with  five  lithographic  views  and  twelve  plates  of  plans. 


Clarke's  Qiiinc^^  Bridge. 

4to.    Cloth.    $7.50. 

Description  of  the  Iron  Railway.  Bridge  across  the  Mississippi 
River  at  Quincy,  Illinois.  By  Thomas  Curtis  Clarke,  Chief  Engineer. 
With  twenty-one  lithographed  plans. 


D.   VAN  NOSTRAND,  3 


Whipple  on  Bridge  Building. 

New  edition.    8vo.     Illustrated.    Cloth.    $4. 

An'  Elementary  and  Practical  Treatise   on  Bridge  Building. 
By  S.  Whipple,  C.  E. 


Koebling's  Bridges. 

Imperial  folio.    Cloth.    $25.00. 
Long  and  Short  Span  Railway  Bridges.    By  .fohn   A.  Roebling, 
C.  E.     With  large  copperplate  engravings  of  plans  and  views. 


IDubois'  Grrapliical  Statics. 

8vo.    GO  lUustrations.    Cloth.    $2.00. 
The  New  Method  of  Graphical  Statics.    By  A.  J.  Dubois,  C.  E., 
rii.  D.  

Grreene's  Bridge  Trusses. 

8vo.    Illustrated.    Cloth.    $2.00. 
(Jkaimiical  Method  for  the  Analysis  of  Bridge  Trusses, — ex- 
tended to  Continuous  Girders  and  Draw  Spans.    By  Charles  E.  Greene, 
.\.  M.,  Professor  of  Civil  Engineering,  University  of  Michigan.     Illus- 
trated by  three  folding  platps. 


Bo\\r  on  Bracing. 

15G  Illustrations  on  stone.    Svo.    Qoth.    $1.50. 

A  Treatise  on  Bracing, — with  its  application  to  Bridges  and  other 
Structures  of  AVood  or  Iron.     By  Robert  Henry  Bow,  C.  E. 


Stoney  on  Strains. 

New  and  Revised  Edition,  witli  numerous  illustrations.    Royal  Svo,  664  pp. 

Clotli.      $12.50. 

The  Theory  of  Strains  in  Girders — and  Similar  Structures,  with 
Observations  on  the  Application  of  Theory  to  Practice,  and  Tables  of 
Strength  and  other  Properties  of  Materials.  By  Bindon  B.  Stoney, 
B.  A. 


Henrici's  Skeleton  Structures. 

8vo.    Cloth.    $1.50. 

Skeleton  Structures,  especially  in  their  Application  to  the  building 
of  Steel  and  L-on  Bridges.     By  Olaus  Henrici. 


SCIENTIFIC  BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY 


Burgli's  Modern  Marine  Engineering. 

One  thick  4to  vol.  Cloth.  $25.00.  Half  morocco.  $30.00. 
Modern  Marine  Engineering,  applied  to  Paddle  and  Screw  Propul- 
sion. Consisting  of  3G  Colored  Plates,  259  Practical  Wood-cut  Illus- 
trations, and  403  pages  of  Descriptive  Matter,  the  whole  being  an  ex- 
position of  the  present  practice  of  the  following  firms  :  Messi's.  J.  Penn 
&  Sons;  Messrs.  Maudslay,  Sons  &  Field  ;  Messrs.  James  Watt  &  Co.  ; 
Messrs.  J.  &  G.  llennie ;  Messrs.  R.  Napier  &  Sons ;  ]\Iessrs.  J.  &  W. 
Dudgeon  ;  Messrs.  Ravenhill  &  Hodgson ;  Messrs.  Humphreys  &  Ten- 
ant ;  Mr.  J.  T.  Spencer,  and  Messrs.  Forrester  &  Co.  By  N.  P.  BuROUy 
Engineer. 

King's  Notes  on  Steam. 

Nineteenth  Edition.    8vo.    $2.00. 
Lessons  and  Practical  Notes  on  Steam, — the  Steam  Engine,  Propel- 
lers, &c.,  &c.,  for  Young  Engineers.  By  the  late  W.  R.  King,  U.  S.  N. 
Revised  by  Chief-Engineer  J.  W.  King,  U.  S.  Navy. 


Link  and  Valve  Motions,  by  W.  S. 
Anch-incloss. 

Sixth  Edition.  8vo.  Cloth.  $3.00. 
Api'I-ication  of  the  Slide  Valve  and  Link  Motion  to  Stationary, 
Portable,  Locomotive  and  Marine  Engines.  By  William  S.  Auciiin- 
CLOSS.  Designed  as  a  hand-book  for  Mechanical  Engineers.  Dimen- 
sions of  the  valve  are  found  by  means  of  a  Printed  Scale,  and  propor- 
tions of  the  link  determined  without  the  assistance  of  a  model.  With 
37  wood-cuts  and  21  lithographic  plates,  with  copperplate  engraving  of 
the  Travel  Scale. 


Bacon's  Steam-Engine  Indicator. 

12mo.    Cloth.    $1.00    Mor.    $1.50. 

Treatise  on  the  Richards  Steam-Engine  Indicator, — with 
directions  for  its  use.  By  Charles  T.  Porter.  Revised,  with  notes 
and  large  additions  as  developed  by  American  Practice,  with  an  Ap- 
pendix containing  useful  formulae  and  rules  for  Engineers.  By  F.  W. 
Bacon,  M.  E.,  Illustrated.     Second  Edition. 


Islier^vood's  Engineering  Precedents. 

Two  Vols,  in  One.    8vo.    Cloth.   $2.50. 

Engineering  Precedents  for  Steam  Machinery.— By  B.  F.  Isher- 
WOOD,  Chief  Engineer,  U.  S.  Navy.     With  illustrations. 


D.  VAN  NOSTBAND. 


Slide  Valve  by  Eccentrics,  by  Prof.  C.  \V.  Mac- 
Cord. 

4to.  Illustrated.  Cloth,  S3. 00 
A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Slide  Valve  by  Eccentrics, — 
examining  by  methods  the  action  of  the  Eccentric  upon  the  Slide 
Valve,  and  explaining  the  practical  processes  of  laying  out  the  movements, 
adapting  the  valve  for  its  various  duties  in  the  steam-engine.  For  the 
use  of  Engineers,  Draughtsmen,  Machinists,  and  Students  of  valve 
motions  in  general.  By  C.  W.  MacCord,  A.  M.,  Professor  of 
Mechanical  Drawing,  Stevens'  Institute  of  Technology,  Hoboken,  K  J. 


StillmarL's  Steara- Engine  Indicator. 

12mo.  Cloth.  $1.00 
The  Steam-Engine  Indicator, — and  the  Improved  Manometer  Steam 
and  Vacuum  Gauges  ;  their  utility  and  application.     By  Paul  Still- 
man.     New  edition. 


Porter's  Steam- Engine  Indicator. 

Third  Edition.    Revised  and  Enlarged.    8vo.    Illustrated.    Cloth.    $3.50. 
A  Treatise  on  the  Richards  Steam-Engine  Indicator, — and  the 
Development  and  Application  of  Force  in  the  Steam-Engine.      By 
Charles  T.  Porter. 


McCnlloch-'s  Theory  of  Heat. 

8vo.  Cloth.    3.60. 
A    Treatise    on    the    Mechanical    Theory    of    Heat,  and  its 
Applications  to  the  Steam-Engine.    ByProf.  R.  S.  McCulloch, 
of  the  Washington  and  Lee  University,  Lexington,  Va. 


Van  Bnren's  Formnlas. 

8vo.    Cloth.    $2.00. 

Investigations  of  Formulas, — for  the  Strength  of  the  Iron  parts  of 
Steam  Machinery.     By  J.  D.  Van  Buren,  Jr.,  C.  E.    Illustrated. 


Stuart's  Snccessful  Engineer. 

18mo.    Boards.    50  cents. 

How  to  Become  a  Successful  Engineer.  Being  Hints  to  Youths 
intending  to  adopt  the  Profession.  By  Bernard  Stuart,  Engineer. 
Sixth  Edition. 


SCIENTIFIC  BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY 


Stuart's  Naval  Dry  Docks. 

Twenty-four  engi-avings  on  steel.    Fourth  edition.    4to.    Cloth.    SG.OO. 

The  Naval  Dry  Docks  of  the  United  States.     By  Charles  B. 
Stuart,  Engineer  in  Chief  U.  S.  Navy. 


Ward's    Steam,    for   the    Million. 

8vo.     Cloth.    $1.00. 

Steam  for  the  Million.  A  Popular  Ureatise  on  Steam  and  its 
Application  to  the  Useful  Arts,  especially  to  Navigation.  By  J.  H. 
Ward,  Commander  U.  S.  Navy. 


Tniiner    on    Roll- Turning. 

1  vol.  8vo.  and  1  vol.  folio  plates.    $10.00. 
A  Treatise  on  Roll-Turning   for   the   Manufacture  of  Iron, 
by  Peter  Tunner.     Translated  by  John  B.  Pearse,  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Steel  Works.     With  numerous  wood-cuts,  8vo.,  together  with 
a  folio  atlas  of  10  lithographed  plates  of  Rolls,  Measurements,  &c. 


Gr^lner  on  Steel. 

8vo.    Cloth.    $3.50. 

The  Manufacture  of  Steel.  By  M.  L.  Gruner  ;  translated  from 
the  French.  By  Lenox  Smith,  A.M.,  E.M.  ;  with  an  Appendix  on 
the  Bessemer  Process  in  the  United  States,  by  the  translator.  Illus- 
trated by  lithographed  drawings  and  wood-cuts. 


Barba   on   tlie    Use    of  Steel. 

12mo.    Illustrated.    Cloth.    $1.50. 
The  Use  of  Steel  in  Construction.     Methods  of  Working,  Apply 
ing,   and  Testing  Plates  and  Bars.     By  J.  Barba,    Chief    Naval 
Constructor.     Translated  from  the  French,  with  a  Preface,  by  A.  L. 

HOLLEY,  P.B. 

Bell    on  Iron  Smelting. 

Svo.  Cloth.  $6.00. 
Chemical  Phenomena  of  Iron  Smelting.  An  experimental  and 
practical  examination  of  the  circumstances  which  determine  the 
capacity  of  the  Blast  Furnace,  the  Temperature  of  the  Air,  and  the 
Proper  Condition  of  the  Materials  to  be  operated  upon.  By 
I.  LowTHiAN  Bell. 


D.   VAN  NOSTRAND. 


The  XJsefal  Metals  and  tlieir  Alloys ;  Scoffren, 
Truran,  and.  others. 

Fifth  Edition.  8vo.  Half  calf .  $3.75 
The  Useful  Metals  and  their  Alloys,  employed  in  the  conver- 
sion of  Iron,  Copper,  Tin,  Zinc,  Antimony,  and  Lead  Ores, 
with  their  applications  to  the  Industrial  Arts.  By  John  Scof- 
FREN,  William  Truran,  William  Clay,  Robert  Oxland, 
William  Fairbairn,  W.  C.  Aitkin,  and  William  Vose  Pickett. 


Collins'  XJsefal  Alloys. 

18mo.    Flexible.    75  cents. 
The  Private  Book  of  Useful  Alloys   and  Memoranda  for  Gold- 
smiths, Jewellers,  etc.    By  James  E.  Collins. 


Joynson's  Metal  Used  in  Construction. 

12mo.     Cloth.    75  cents. 
The  Metals  Used  in  Construction  :  Iron,    Steel,  Bessemer  Metal, 
etc.,  etc.    By  Francis  H.  Joynson.    Illustrated. 


Dodd's  Dictionary  of  Mannfactnres,  etc. 

12mo.    Cloth.    $1.50. 
Dictionary    of    Manufactures,  Mining,  Machinery,    and    thb 
Industrial  Arts.     By  George  Dodd. 


Von  Cotta's  Ore  Deposits. 

8vo.     Cloth.    $4.00. 

Treatise  on  Ore  Deposits.  By  Bernhard  Von  Cotta,  Professor 
of  Geology  in  the  Royal  School  of  Mines,  Freidburg,  Saxony.  Trans- 
lated from  the  second  German  edition,  by  Frederick  Prime,  Jr., 
Mining  Engineer,  and  revised  by  the  author ;  with  numerous  illus- 
trations. 

Plattner's  Blow-Pipe  Analysis. 

Third  Edition.    Revised.    5G8  pages.    8yo.    Cloth.    $5.00. 

Plattnhr's  Manual  of  Qualitative  and  Quantitative  Analy- 
sis with  the  Blow-Pipe.  From  the  last  German  edition.  Revised 
and  enlarged.  By  Prof.  Th.  Richter,  of  the  Royal  Saxon  Mining 
Academy.  Translated  by  Professor  H.  B.  Cornwall  ;  assisted  by 
John  H.  Caswell.  With  eighty-seven  wood-cuts  and  Lithographic 
Plate. 


8  SCIENTIFIC  BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY 


Plympton's  BloTv^-Pipe  Analysis. 

12mo.    Cloth.    $1.50. 
The  Blow-Pipe:  A  Guide  to  its  Use  in  the  Determination  of  Salts 
and  Minerals.      Compiled  from  various  sources,    by   George    W. 
Plympton,  C.E.,  A.M.,  Professor  of  Physical  Science  in  the  Polytech- 
nic Institute,  Brooklyn,  N.Y. 

Pynclioii's  Chemical  Physics. 

New  Edition.  Kevised  and  enlarged.  Crown  8vo.  Cloth.  $3.00. 
Introduction  to  Chemical  Physics  ;  Designed  for  the  Use  of 
Academies,  Colleges,  and  High  Schools.  Illustrated  with  numerous 
engravings,  and  containing  copious  experiments,  with  directions  for 
preparing  them.  By  Thomas  Ruggles  Pynchon,  M.A.,  President 
of  Trinity  College,  Hartford. 


Eliot  and  Storer's  Qualitative  Cheinical 
Analysis. 

New  Edition.    Revised.    12mo.    Illustrated.    Cloth.    $1.50. 

A  Compendious  Manual   op   Qualitative   Chemical    Analysis. 

By  Charles    W.  Eliot   and   Frank  H.    Storer.     Revised,  with 

the  cooperation    of    the   Authors,   by  William   Ripley  Nichols, 

Professor  of  Chemistry  in  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology. 


Rammelsberg's  Chenaical  Analysis. 

8vo.    Cloth.    $3.25. 
Guide    to    a    Course    of    Quantitative     Chemical     Analysis, 
Especially  of  Minerals  and   Furnace    Products.     Illustrated 
by  Examples.     By  C.  F.  Rammelsberg.     Translated  by  J.  Towler, 
M.D. 


Naqnet's  Legal  CheiTiistry. 

Illustrated.  12mo.  Cloth.  $2.00. 
Legal  Chemistry.  A  Guide  to  the  Detection  of  Poisons,  Falsifica- 
tion of  Writings,  Adulteration  of  Alimentary  and  Pharmaceutical 
Substances  ;  Analysis  of  Ashes,  and  Examination  of  Hair,  Coins, 
Fire-arms,  and  Stains,  as  Applied  to  Chemical  Jurisprudence.  For 
the  Use  of  Chemists,  Physicians,  Lawyers,  Pharmacists,' and  Experts. 
Translated,  with  additions,  including  a  List  of  Books  and  Memoirs 
on  Toxicology,  etc.,  from  the  French  of  A.  Naquet.  By  J.  P. 
Battershall,  Ph.  D.,  with  a  Preface  by  C.  F.  Chandler,  Ph.  D., 
M.D.,LL.D. 


D.  VAN  NOSTRAND. 


Prescott's  Proximate  Organic  Analysis. 

12JT10.     Cloth.    $1.75. 

Outlines  of  Proximate  Organic  Analysis,  for  the  Identification, 
Separation,  and  Quantitative  Determination  of  the  more  commonly 
occurring  Organic  Compounds.  By  Albert  B.  Prescott,  Professor 
of  Organic  and  Applied  Chemistry  in  the  University  of  Michigan. 


Prescott's  Alcoholic  Liquors. 

121110.  Cloth.  $1.50. 
Chemical  Examination  of  Alcoholic  Liquors. — A  Manual  of  the 
Constituents  of  the  Distilled  Spirits  and  Fermented  Liquors  of  Com- 
merce, and  their  Qualitative  and  Quantitative  Determinations.  By 
Albert  B.  Prescott,  Professor  of  Organic  and  Applied  Chemistry 
in  the  University  of  Michigan. 


Pope's  Modern  Practice  of  th.e  Electric 
TelegraiDli. 

Niutli  Edition.    8vo.     Cloth.    $3.00. 
A   Hand-book  for  Electricians  and   Operators.     By  Fkank  L.  Pope. 
Ninth  edition,     llevised  and  enlarged,  andfull}'-  illustrated. 


Sabine's  History  of  the  Telegiapli. 

Second  Edition.     12mo.     Cloth.    $1.25. 
History  and  Progress  of   the    Electric    Telegraph,  with   De- 
scriptions of  some  of  the  Apparatus.     By  Robert  Sabine,  C.E. 


Haskins'  Gralvanometer. 

■  Pocket  form.    Illustrated.    Morocco  tucks.    $2.00. 
The  Galvanometer,  and    its    Uses  ; — A   Manual  for  Electricians 
and  Students.     By  C.  H.  Has  kins. 


Myer's  Manual  of  Signals. 

New  Edition.    Enlarged.     12mo.    48  Plates,  full  Roan.    85.00. 
Manual  of  Signals,  for  the  Use  of  Signal  Officers  in  the  Field.     By 
Brig.-Gen.  Albert  J.  Myer,  Chief  Signal  Officer  of  the  Army. 


Larrabee's  Secret  I^etter  and.  Teleg-rapli 

18mo.     Cloth.     $1.00. 
Cipher  and  Secret  Letter  and  Telegraphic  Code,  with  Hogg's 
Improvements.     By  C.  S   Larhabee. 


10  SCIENTIFIC  BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY 

Grillraore's  Limes  and.  Cements. 

Fifth  Edition.    Revised  and  Enlarged.    8vo.    Cloth.    $4.00. 

Practical  Treatise  on  Limes,  Hydraulic  Cements,  and  Mor- 
tars. By  Q.  A.  GiLLMORE,  Lt.-Col.  U.  S.  Corps  of  Engineers. 
Brevet  Major-General  U.  S.  Army. 


Oillmore's  Coignet  Beton. 

Nine  Plates,  Views,  etc.    8vo.    Cloth.    $2.50. 

Coignet  Beton  and  Other  Artificial  Stone. — By  Q.  A.  Gill- 
more,  Lt.-Col.  U.  S.  Corps  of  Engineers,  Brevet  Major-General  U.S. 
Army. 

Grillmore  on  Koads. 

Seventy  Illustrations.    12in().    Cloth.    $2.00. 

A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Construction  of  Roads,  Streets, 
and  Pavements.  By  Q.  A.  Gillmore,  Lt.-Col.  U.  S.  Corj)s  of 
Engineers,  Brevet  Major-General  U.  S.  Army. 


Gillmore's  Bnilding  Stones. 

8vo.    Cloth.    $1.50.'" 

Report    on  Strength  of  the  Building  Stones  in  the  United 
States,  etc. 


Holley's  Railway  Practice. 

1  vol.  foUo.    Cloth.    $12.00. 

American  and  European  Railway  Practice,  in  the  Economical 
Generation  of  Steam,  including  the  materials  and  construction  of 
Coal-burning  Boilers,  Combustion,  the  Variable  Blast,  Vaporization, 
Circulation,  Super-heating,  Supplying  and  Heating  Feed-water,  &c., 
and  the  adaptation  of  Wood  and  Coke-burning  Engines  to  Coal- 
burning  ;  and  in  Permanent  Way,  including  Road-bed,  Sleepers, 
Rails,  Joint  Fastenings,  Street  Railways,  etc.,  etc.  By  Alexander 
L.  HoLLEY,  B.P.     With  77  lithographed  plates. 


Useful  Information  for  Rail^way  Men. 

Pocket  form.    Morocco,  gilt.     $2.00. 

Compiled  by  W.    G.   Hamilton,   Engineer.     Sixth  Edition,  Revised 
and  Enlarged.    570  pages. 


D.   VAN  NOSTRAND,  **    11 


Stuart's   Civil  and    Military   Engineering  of 
America. 

8vo.  Illustrated.  Cloth.  $5.00. 
The  Civil  and  Military  Exgineeks  of  America.  By  General 
Charles  B.  Stuart,  Author  of  "  Naval  Dry  Docks  of  the  United 
States,"  etc.,  etc.  Embellished  with  nine  finely-executed  Portraits 
on  steel  of  eminent  Engineers,  and  illustrated  by  Engravings  of  some 
of  the  most  important  and  original  w^orks  constructed  in  America. 


Ernst's  Mannal  of  Military  Engineering. 

193  Wood-cuts  and  3  Lithographed  Plates.     12mo.    Cloth.    $5.00. 
A  Manual  of  Practical   Military   Engineering.     Prepared  for 
the  use  of  tlie  Cadets  of  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  and  for  Engineer 
Troops.     By  Capt.  O.  H.  Ernst,  Corps  of  Engineers,  Instructor  in 
Practical  Military  Engineering,  U.  S.  Military  Academy. 


Simms'  Levelling:. 


12mo.  Cloth.  $2.50. 
A  Treatise  on  the  Principles  and  Practice  of  Levelling, 
showing  its  apiDlication  to  purposes  of  Railway  Engineering  and  the 
Construction  of  Roads,  etc.  By  Frederick  W.  Slmms,  C.E.  From 
the  fifth  London  edition,  Revised  and  Corrected,  with  the  addition  of 
Mr.  Law's  Practical  Examples  for  Setting-out  Railway  Curves. 
Illustrated  with  three  lithographic  x:)lates  and  numerous  wood-cuts. 


Jeflfers'  NaLitieal  Surveying. 

Illustrated  with  9  Copperplates  and  31  Wood-cut  Illustrations.    8vo.     Cloth.    $5.00. 
Nautical  Surveying.      By  William  N.  Jeffers,  Captain  U.  S. 

Navy. 

BrnnnoAv's  Splaerical  Astronomy. 

Illustrated.    8vo.     Cloth.    $6.50. 
Spherical  Astronomy.    By  F.   Brunnow,  Ph.  Dr.     Translated  by 
the  Author  from  the  second  German  edition. 


The  Plane  Table. 

8vo.     Cloth.    $2.00. 
Its  Uses  in  Topographical    Surveying.     From  the  papers  of  the 
U.  S.  Coast  Survey. 


CliaTiveiiet's  Lunar  Distances. 

8vo.    Cloth.    $2.00. 
New  Mi:tiiod    of    Correcting   Lu^ar    Distances,   and  Improved 
Method  of  Finding   the  Error  and  Rate  of  a  Chronometer,  by  equal 
altitudes.     By  Wm.  Ciiauvenet,  LL.D.,  Chancellor  of  Washington 
Univ^ersity  of  St.  Louis. 

Burt's  Key  to  Solar  Compass. 

Second  Edition.  Pocket-book  form.  Tuck.  $2.50. 
Key  to  the  Solar  Compass,  and  Surveyor's  Companion  ;  comprising 
all  the  Rules  necessary  for  use  in  the  Field  ;  also  Description  of  the 
Linear  Surveys  and  Public  Land  System  of  the  United  States,  Notes 
on  the  Barometer,  Suggestions  for  an  Outfit  for  a  Survey  of  Four 
Months,  etc.     By  W.  A.  Burt,  U.  S.  Deputy  Surveyor. 


HoA/^ard's  Eartliwork  Mensuration. 

8vo.  niustrated.  Cloth.  §1.50. 
Earthwork  Mexsuration  ox  the  Basis  of  the  Prismoidal 
Formulae.  Containing  simple  and  labor-saving  method  of  obtaining 
Prismoidal  Contents  directly  from  End  Areas.  lUus-trated  by 
Examples,  and  accompanied  by  Plain  Rules  for  practical  uses.  By 
Conway  R.  Howard,  Civil  Engineer,  Richmond,  Va. 


Morris'  Easy  Rules. 

78  niustrations.    Svo.    Cloth.    $1.50. 
Easy  Rules  for  the  Measurement  of  Earthworks,  by  means  of 
the  Prismoidal  Formula.     By  Elwood  Morris,  Civil  Engineer. 


Clevonger's  Surveying. 

Illustrated  Pocket  Form.  Morocco,  gilt.  $2.50. 
A  Treatise  on  the  Method  of  Government  Surveying,  as 
prescribed  by  the  U.  S.  Congress  and  Commissioner  of  the  General 
Land  Office.  AVith  complete  Mathematical,  Astronomical,  and  Prac- 
tical Instructions  for  the  nse  of  the  U.  S.  Surveyors  in  the  Field,  and 
Students  who  contemplate  engaging  in  the  business  of  Public  Land 
Surveying.     By  S.  V.  Clevenger,  U.  S.  Deputy  Surveyor. 


He-wson  on  Embankments. 

Svo.    Cloth.    $2.00. 
Principles    and   Practice    of     Embanking     Lands    from    River 
Floods,  as  applied  to  the  Levees  of   the  Mississippi.     By  William 
IIewson,  Civil  Engineer. 


D.   VAN  NOSTRAND.  13 


Minifie's  Mecliaiiical  Dra^vsring. 

Ninth  Edition.    Royal  8vo.    Cloth.    $4.00. 

A  Text-Book  of  Geometrical  Drawing,  for  the  use  of  Mechanics 
and  Schools.  With  illustrations  for  Drawing  Plans,  Sections,  and 
Elevations  of  Buildings  and  Machinery  ;  an  Introduction  to  Isometri- 
cal  Drawing,  and  an  Essay  on  Linear  Perspective  and  Shadows. 
With  over  200  diagrams  on  steel.  By  William  Minifie,  Architect. 
With  an  Api^endix  on  the  Theory  and  Application  of  Colors. 


Minifie's  Greometrical  Dra^v^ring. 

New  Edition.    Enlarged.    12mo.    Cloth.    $2.00. 

Geometrical  Drawing.     Abridged  from  the  octavo  edition,  for  the 
use  of  Schools.     Illustrated  with  48  steel  plates. 


Free  Hand.  Dra^^^ing. 

Profusely  Illustrated.    18mo.    Boards.    50  cents. 

A  Guide  to  Ornamental,  Figure,  and  Landscape  Drawing.     By  an 
Art  Student. 


Th.e  Meclianic's  Friend. 

12mo.  Cloth.  300  Illustrations.  $1.50. 
The  Mechanic's  Friend.  A  Collection  of  Receipts  and  Practical 
Suggestions,  relating  to  Aquaria — Bronzing — Cements — Drawing — 
Dyes — Electricity — Gilding — Glass- working — Glues — Horology — Lac- 
quers— Locomotives — Magnetism — Metal-working — Modelling —  Pho- 
tography— Pyrotechny — Railwa\s  —  Solders  —  Steam-Engine  —  Tele- 
graphy— Taxidermy — Varnishes — Waterproofing — and  Miscellaneous 
Tools,  Instruments,  Machines,  and  Processes  connected  with  the 
Chemical  and  Mechanical  Arts.     By  William  E.  Axon,  M.R.S.L. 


Harrison's  Meclianic's  Tool-Book. 

44  Illustrations.     12mo.    Cloth.    $1.50. 
Mechanics'  Tool  Book,  with  Practical  Rules  and  Suggestions,  for  the 
use  of  Machinists,  Iron  Workers,  and  others.     By  W.  B.  Harrison. 


Randall's  Quartz  Operator's  Hand-Book. 

12mo.    Cloth.    S2  00. 

Quartz    Operator's   Hand-Book.     By  P.   M.   Randall.      Ne\7 
edition,  Revised  and  Enlarged.     Fully  illustrated. 


14  SCIENTIFIC  BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY 

Joynson  on  Machine  Grearing. 

8vo.    Cloth.    $2.00. 
The   Mechanic's    and   Student's  Guide  in  the  designing  and  Con" 
structionof  General  Macliine  Gearing,  as  Eccentrics,  Screws,  Toothed 
Wheels,  etc.,  and  the  Drawing  of  Rectilineal  and  Curved  Surfaces. 
Edited  by  Francis  H,   Joynson.     With  18  folded  plates. 


Silversmitli's  Hand-Book. 

Fourth  Edition.    Illustrated.     12mo.     Cloth.    $3.00. 
A  Practical  Hand-Book  for  Miners,  Metallurgists,  and  Assayers. 
By  Julius  Silversmith.     Illustrated. 


Barnes'  Submarine  Warfare. 

8vo.  Cloth.  s^S.OO. 
Submarine  Warfare,  Defensive  and  Offensive.  Descriptions 
of  the  various  forms  of  Torpedoes,  Submarine  Batteries  and  Torpedo 
Boats  actually  used  in  War.  Methods  of  Ignition  by  Mac.inery, 
Contact  Fuzes,  and  Electricity,  and  a  full  account  of  experiments 
made  to  determine  the  Explosive  Force  of  Gunpowder  under  Water. 
Also  a  discussion  of  the  Offensive  Torpedo  system,  its  effect  upon 
Iron-clad  Ship  systems,  and  influence  upon  future  Naval  Wars.  By 
Lieut.-Com.  John  S.  Barnes,  U.S.N.  With  twenty  lithographic 
plates  and  many  wood-cuts. 

Foster's  Submarine  Blasting. 

4to.    Cloth.    $3.50. 
Submarine  Blasting,  in  Boston  Harbor,  Massachusetts — Removal  of 
Tower  and  Corwin  Rocks.     By  John  G.  Foster,  U.  S.   Eng.  and 
Bvt.  Major-General  U.  S.  Army.     With  seven  plates. 


Mo^vbray's  Tri-Nitro-Grlycerine. 

8vo.    Cloth.    Illustrated.    $3.00. 
Tri-Nitro-Glycerine,  as  applied  in  the  Hoosac  Tunnel,  and  to  Sub- 
marine Blasting,  Torpedoes,  Quarrying,  etc. 


^Villianlson  on  tlie  Barometer. 

4to.     Cloth.    S15.00. 
On  the  Use    of  the   Barometer   on    Surveys   and   Reconnais- 
sances.    Part  T. — ^Meteorology  in  its  Connection  with  Hypsometry. 
.  Part  II.—Barometric  Hypsometry.      By  R.    S.    Williamson,    Bvt. 
Lt.-Col.  U.  S.  A.,  Major  Corps  of  Engineers.    With  illustrative  tables 
and  engravings. 


D.   VAN  NOSTBAND.  15 

Williamson's  Meteorological  Tables. 

4to.    Flexible  Cloth.    $2.50. 

Practical  Tables  in  Meteorology  and  IIypsometry,  in  connection 
with  the  use  of  the  Barometer.     By  Col.  R.  S.  Williamson',  U.S.A. 


Butler's  Projectiles  and  Rifled.  Cannon. 

4to.    30  Plates.    Cloth.    $7.50. 

Projectiles  and  Rifled  Cannon.  A  Critical  Discussion  of  the 
Principal  Systems  of  Rifling  and  Projectiles,  with  Practical  Sugges- 
tions for  their  Improvement.  By  Capt.  John  S.  Butler,  Ordnance 
Corps,  U.  S.  A. 

Benet's  Clironoscope. 

Second  Edition.    Illustrated.    4to.    Cloth.    $3.00. 

Electro-Ballistic  Machines,  and  the  Schultz  Chronoscope.  By 
Lt.-Col.  S.  V.  Benet,  Chief  of  Ordnance  U.  S.  A. 


Micliaelis'  Clironograph. 

4to.    Illustrated.    Cloth.    $3.00. 

The  Le  Boulenge  Chronograph.  With  three  lithographed  folding 
plates  of  illustrations.  By  Bvt.  Captain  O.  E.  Michaelis,  Ordnance 
Corps,  U.  S.  A. 

Nu-gent  on  Optics. 

12mo.     Cloth.    $1.50. 

Treatise  on  Optics  ;  or.  Light  and  Sight,  theoretically  and  practically 
treated ;  with  the  application  to  Fine  Art  and  Industrial  Pursuits. 
By  E.  Nugent.     With  103  illustrations. 


Peirce's  Analytic  Mechanics. 

4to.     Cloth.    $10.00. 
System   of  Analytic    Mechanics.      By    Benjamin   Peirce,   Pro- 
fessor of  Astronomy  and  Mathematics  in  Harvard  University. 


Craig's  Decimal  System. 

Square  32mo.    Limp.    50a 

Weights  and  Measures.     An  Account  of  the  Decimal  System,  with 
Tables  of  Conversion  for  Commercial  and  Scientific  Uses.     By  B.  F. 


16  SCIENTIFIC  BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY 


Alexander's  IDictionary  ol' Weights  and 
Measures. 

New   Edition.    8vo.    Cloth.    $3.50. 
Universal  Dictionary  of  Weights  and  Measures,    Ancient  and 
Modern,  reduced  to  the  standards  of  the  United  States  of   America. 
By  J.  H.  Alexander. 

Elliot's  European  Liglit-Hoases. 

51  Engravings  and  2i  Wood-cuts.    8vo.    Cloth,    $5.00. 
European  Light-House  Systems.      Being  a  Report  of  a  Tour  of 
Inspection  made  in    1873.      By  Major   George  H.  Elliot,  U.  S. 
Ensfineers. 


Svsreet's  Keport  on  Coal. 

With  Maps.    8vo.     Cloth.    $3.00. 
Special  Report  on  Coal.     By  S.  H.  Sweet. 


Colburn's  Gras  Works  of  London. 

12mo.    Boards.    GO  cents. 
Gas  AVorks  of  London.    By  Zerah  Colburn. 

Walker's  Screw  Propulsion. 

Svo.    Cloth.    75  cents. 

Notes  on  Screw  Propulsion,  its  Rise  and  History.     By  Capfc.  W.  H 
Walker,  U.  S.  Navy. 

Pook  on  Shipbuilding. 

Svo.    Cloth.    Illustrated.    $5.00. 
Method    of    Preparing    the    Lines    and    Draughting  Vessels 
Propelled  by  Sail  or  Steam,  including  a  Chapter  on  Loying-off 
on  the  Mould-loft  Floor.     By  Samuel  M.  Pook,  Naval  Constructor. 

Saeltzer's  Acoustics. 

12mo.    Cloth.    $2.00. 
Theatise  on  Acoustics  in  connection  with  Ventilation.     By  Alex- 
ander Saeltzer. 


Pickert  and  Metcalf 's  Art  of  Graining. 

Ivol.    4to.    Tinted  Paper.    Cloth.    $10.00. 
The  Art  of  Graining,  with  description  of  Colors  and  their  Applica- 
tion.   By  Charles  Pickert  and   Abraham   Metcalf.      With  42 
tinted  plates  of  the  various  woods  used  in  interior  finishing. 


D.   VAN  NOSTRAND.  17 


Wanklyii-'s  Milk  Analysis. 

12mo.    Cloth.    $1.00. 

Milk  Analysis.  A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Examination  of  Milk, 
and  its  Derivatives,  Cream,  Butter,  and  Cheese.  By  J.  Alfred 
AVanklyn,M.R.C.S. 


Rice  &  Jolmsoii's  IDifFerential  Functions. 

Paper,.   l2mo.    50  cents. 

Ox  A  New  Method  of  Obtaining  the  Differentials  op  Func- 
tions, with  especial  reference  to  the  Newtonian  Conception  of  Rates 
or  Velocities.  By  J.  Minot  Rice,  Prof,  of  Mathematics,  U.  S.  Navy, 
and  W.  WooLSEY  Johnson,  Prof,  of  Mathematics,  St.  John's 
College,  Annapolis. 


Coffin's  Navigation. 

Fifth  Edition.    12mo.    Cloth.    ;$3.50. 


Navigation  and  Nautical  Astronomy.  Prepared  for  the  use  of 
the  U.  S.  Naval  Academy.  By  J.  H.  C.  Coffin,  Professor  of 
Astronomy,  Navigation  and  Surveying  ;  with  52  wood-cut  illustra- 
tions. 


Clark's  Theoretical  Navigation, 

8vo.    Cloth.    $3.00. 

Theoretical  Navigation  and  Nautical  Astronomy.  By  Lewis 
Clark,  Lieut. -Commander,  U.  S.  Navy.  Illustrated  with  41  wood- 
cuts, including  the  Vernier. 


Toner's    Dictionary    of  Elevations. 

8vo.    Paper,  $3.00    Cloth,  $3,75. 

Dictionary  of  Elevations  and  Climatic  Register  op  the 
United  States.  Containing,  in  addition  to  Elevations,  tha  Latitude, 
Mean  Annual  Temperature,  and  the  total  Annual  Rain  Fall  of  many 
Localities  ;  with  a  brief  introduction  on  the  Orographic  and  Physical 
Peculiarities  of  North  America.     By  J.  M.  Toner,  M.D. 


18  SCIENTIFIC  BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY 


VAN    NOSTHANT3'S     SCIENCE     SEKIES. 


It  is  the  intention  of  the  Publislier  of  this  Series  to  issue  tliem  at 
intervals  of  about  a  month.  They  will  be  put  up  in  a  uniform,  neat, 
and  attractive  form,  18mo,  fancy  boards.  The  subjects  will  be  of  an 
eminently  scientific  character,  and  embrace  as  wide  a  range  of  topics  as 
possible,  all  of  the  highest  character. 

Price,  50  Cents  Each. 

I.  Chimneys  for  Furnaces,  Fire-places,  and  Steam  Boilers.    By 

R.  Armstrong,  C.E. 

II.  Steam  Boiler  Explosions.    By  Zerah  Colburn. 

III.  Practical  Designing  of  Retaining  Walls.  By  Arthur  Jacob, 
A.B.    With  Illustrations. 

IV.  Proportions  of  Pins  Used  in  Bridges.  By  Ciiaklf.s  E. 
Bender,  C.E,     With  Illustrations. 

V.  Ventilation  of  Buildings.  By  W.  F.  Butler.  With  Illustrations. 

VI.  On  the  Designing  and  Construction  of  Storage  Reservoirs. 
By  Arthur  Jacob.     With  Illustrations. 

VII.  Surcharged  and  Different  Forms  of  Retaining  AValls. 
By  James  S.  Tate,  C.E. 

VIII.  A  Treatise  on  the  Compound  Engine.     By  John  Turnbull. 

With  Illustrations. 

IX.  Fuel.  By  C.  William  Siemens,  to  which  is  appended  the  value  of 
Artificial  Fuels  as  Compared  with  Coal.  ByJoHNWoRM" 
ALD,  C.E. 

X.  Compound  Engines.     Translated  from  the  French  of  A.  Mallet. 

Illustrated. 

XI.  Theory  of  Arches.  By  Prof.  W.  Allan,  of  the  Washington  and 
Lee  College.     Illustrated. 

XII  A  Practical  Theory  of  Voussoir  Arches.  By  William  Cain, 
C.E.     Illustrated. 


D.  VAN  NOSTRAND.  19 


XIII.  A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Gases  Met  With  in  Coal 
Mines.     By  the  late  J.  J.  Atkinson,  Government  Inspector  of 

Mines  for  the  County  of  Durham,  England. 

XIV.  Friction  of  Air  in  Mines.  By  J.  J.  Atkinson,  author  of  "  A 
Practical  Treatise  on  the  Gases  met  with  in  Coal  Mines." 

XV.  Skew  Arches.  By  Prof.  E.  W.  Hyde,  C.E.  Illustrated  with 
numerous  engravings  and  three  folded  plates. 

XVI.  A  Graphic  Method  for  Solving  Certain  Algebraic  Equa- 
tions.    By  Prof.  George  L.  Vose.     With  Illustrations. 

XVII.  Water  and  Water  Supply.  By  Prof.  W.  H.  Corfield, 
M.A.,  of  the  University  College,  London. 

XVIII.  Sewerage  and  Sewage  Utilization.  By  Prof.  W.  H. 
CoRFiKLD,  M.A.,  of  the  University  College,  London. 

XIX.  Strength  of  Beams  Under  Transverse  Loads.  By  Prof. 
W.  Allan,  author  of  "  Theory  of  Arches."     With  Illustrations 

XX.  Bridge  and  Tunnel  Centres.  By  John  B.  McMasters, 
C.E.    With  Illustrations. 

XXL  Safety  Valves.  By  Richard  H.  Buel,  C.E.  With  Illustra- 
tions. 

XXII.  High    Masonry    Dams.     By     John    B.   McMasters,    C.E. 

With  Illustrations. 

XXin.  The  Fatigue  of  Metals  under  Repeated  Strains,  with 
various  Tables  of  Results  of  Experiments.  From  the  German  of 
Prof.  LuDWiG  Spangenberg.  With  a  Preface  by  S.  H.  Shreve, 
A.M .    With  Illustrations. 

XXIV.  A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Teeth  of  Wheels,  with 
the  theory  of  the  use  of  Robinson's  Odontograph.  By  8.  W.  Robin- 
son, Prof,  of  Mechanical  Engineering,  Illinois  Industrial  University. 

XXV.  Theory  and  Calculations  of  Continuous  Bridges.  By 
Mansfield  Merriman,  C.E.     With  Illustrations.    . 


20  Z>.   VAN  NO  Sr It  AND. 


Th.e   University    Series. 

No.  1. — On  the  Physical  Basis  of  Life.  By  Prof.  T.  11.  Huxley, 
LL.D.,  F.R.S.  With  an  introduction  by  a  Professor  in  Yale  College. 
12nio,  pp.  36.     Paper  cover,  25  cents. 

No.  2. — The  Corelation  of  Vital  and  Physical  Fouces.  By 
Prof.  George  F.  Barker,  M.D.,  of  Yale  College.  86  pp.  Paper 
covers,  25  cents. 

No.  3.- -As  Regards  Protoplasm,  in  relation  to  Prof.  Huxley's 
Physical  Basis  of  Life.  By  J.  Hutchinson  Stirling,  F.R.C.S. 
72  pp.,  25  cents. 

No.  4. — On  the  Hypothesis  of  Evolution,  Physical  and  Meta- 
physical. By  Prof.  Edward  D.  Cope.  12ino,  72  pp.  Paper  covers, 
25  cents. 

No.  5. — Scientific  Addresses: — 1.  On  the  Methods  and  Tendencies 
of  Physical  Investigation.  2.  On  Haze  and  Dust.  3.  On  the  Scien- 
tific Use  of  the  Lnagination.  By  Prof.  John  Tyndall,  F.R.S. 
12mo,  74  pp.     Paper  covers,  25  cents.     Flex,  cloth,  50  cents. 

No.  6. — Natural  Selection  as  Applied  to  Man.  By  Alfred 
Russell  Wallace.  This  pamphlet  treats  (1)  of  the  Developement 
of  Human  Races  under  the  Law  of  Selection;  (2)  the  Limits  of 
Natural  Selection  as  applied  to  Man.     5i  pp.     25  cents. 

No.  7. — Spectrum  Analysis.  Three  Lectures  by  Profs.  Roscoe, 
HuGGiNS  and  Lockyer.  Finely  Illustrated.  88  pp.  Paper  covers, 
25  cents. 

No.  8. — The  Sun.  A  sketch  of  the  present  state  of  scientific  opinion 
as  regards  this  body.  By  Prof.  C.  A.  Young,  Ph.  D.  of  Dartmouth 
College.     58  pp.     Paper  covers,  25  cents. 

No.  9. — The  Earth  a  Great  Magnet.      By  A.  M.  Mayer,  Ph.  D., 

of   Stevens'  Institute.      72  pp.      Paper  covers,  25   cents.      Flexible 
cloth,  50  cents. 

No.  10. — Mysteries  of  the  Voice  and  Ear.  By  Prof.  O.  N.  Rood, 
Columbia  College,  New  York.  Beautifully  Illustrated.  38  pp. 
Paper  covers,  25  cents. 


